Alexandria Auction
by Tangerine-Alert
Summary: Harry Potter, UNIT, NCIS xover. Harry has completed training with UNIT and been ordered 6 months off duty, he goes on a road trip in America…but is ordered back on duty to deal with an auction…and NCIS
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

_Welcome, this is a sequel to __UNIT: Night Wolf – Beginnings__, but you don't…necessarily need to have read it (or it's precursor __Sorcery, UNITed Independence, Space)__, reading Night Wolf Beginnings will give you more insight into who the characters are and how they got here._

_It is (more or less) possible to understand this without having read Beginnings._

**Chapter 01**

Sorcerer Lieutenant Harry James Potter leaned back in the rickety wooden chair and looked out across the desolate landscape that was the outskirts of Las Vegas, even from here her could almost taste the buzzing of the charms, anti-cheating spells and every counter ever created vibrating around the city of gambling, lights and high crime rates.

Harry leaned back and stared up at the dark early morning sky watching the stars slowly disappear as the Earth rotated to face the sun and wished not for the first time on his road trip that he was up there in the stars…

It had been two and a half years since he destroyed Voldemort…two and a half years since he applied a creative use of astro-physics and destabilised a major sequence star to destroy Tom Marvolo Riddle.

In the time following that and the end of Hogwarts he'd been…a little bored.

He'd admitted such when after only 3 months of _not _planning on how to destroy an enemy that had plagued him for…well his whole life and _not _plotting secret plots to keep himself alive and away from the manipulative arms and wands of Dumbledore Harry Potter admitted to General Lethbridge Stewart that…

"_I'm going mad…the metaphorical rather than the literal 'I want to take over the world'…mad Brigadier."_

_General Lethbridge Stewart raised an eyebrow at the young man sitting on the opposite side of the desk._

_It had been barely 3 months since he'd officially seen Harry Potter after he met Ms Hermione Granger when she was introduced to Night Wolf. When they'd departed at that point Harry was adamant that he would 'enjoy living' his life instead of running and fighting for it….that was what he'd said all those years ago…_

_Lethbridge Stewart watched as Harry stood up seemingly not even wanting to sit still and began to pace his hand behind his back._

"_You said when I was ready if I wanted I could have a career with Nigh Wolf Brigadier…I think that I want to explore what working for Night Wolf is."_

That had been the beginning of what was actually a one and half year exploration and training which found Harry both exploring and working and in some ways setting a standard for those who wanted to be a part of Night Wolf's space and research activities but no knowing exactly what they wanted.

Throughout those 18 and a bit months he worked, learned and experience much of what UNIT did while they weren't on Earth.

Harry worked in the processing plants of Research Outpost 1 Night Wolf's mining outpost where much of the materials that constructed their ships was sourced from.

He learnt to fight a zero gravity fire, and how to put up an protective enclosure in -100 degree winds.

He sat in a class room on Earth and absorbed the procedures and practises of being an officer in UNIT. He spent many long months on board various ships going about their daily duties and learnt and understood what it meant to be on a UNIT vessel, the hardships, the stress and the pain it cause.

He found out what it meant to save lives and by the end of it, after 18 hard and fast months he'd decided what he wanted, one of the harder, more stress filled jobs on board the UNIT vessels, the Secondary Systems Coordinator.

That's when General Lethbridge Stewart had _ordered_ him on 6 months leave.

He'd actually asked Harry first and then when he'd said he'd prefer not to Lethbridge Stewart had sighed and ordered Lieutenant Potter on 6 months leave.

He'd spent a month and a bit travelling around his new country of residence; Australia, however travelling back from Perth across the Nullarbor his Triumph Stag overheated…that was after he'd applied multiple cooling charms and protective spells against the dust, heat and whatever else.

It probably hadn't helped he'd hit an Emu earlier that day going around 150km…

The Triumph Stag…his father's car was being rebuilt in a small mechanic's outside of Melbourne while he was travelling.

He'd decided on America…randomly mainly, UNIT didn't have much of a foothold in the US so it was the perfect place to go for a genuine roadtrip without getting involved with anything _magical _or _extraterrestrial._

The Brigadier had even told him to be careful…certain government groups still didn't look favourably on UNIT individuals in their country, saw it as an affront to them being able to maintain security…and that wasn't even the half of it.

Despite this there was still a small UNIT office maintained in the US… which only advised, there weren't any UNIT troops in the USA…in an official sense.

Harry reached over to the other chair and removed his Powerbook and set it on the table alongside glass of freshly squeezed juice and powered it up.

Rummaging around in his bag he removed what looked like a small bowl with a cord attached and plugged it in.

It was actually a mini-satellite transceiver that he used to piggyback data off of the European Space Agency's satellite, to send and receive emails from…well mainly Hermione.

Hermione hadn't wasted her one and a half years either, nor had she attempted to take a break after school…

After learning Harry's big secret…Night Wolf she'd thrown herself into study…and for around a month and half was just focused on that, studying and learning all about this world, this organization and all that it held before she actually worked out what she wanted to do.

Harry clicked the program that would begin the download of emails from the UN server that he used, he could only use the satellite for his 'personal communications' at certain times of the day, which was usually just before sunrise while he was in the United States.

Harry wasn't really expecting an email from Hermione, the last message he'd received she'd been off planet on a dig as part of her Xeno-Archaeology, Linguistics double degree…she was also taking minors in various other things, without the aid of any devices which mucked with time travel, which was a good thing all round, yet she still had time to be in Night Wolf when ever Harry had not been on board a ship or off planet.

Shrugging he was about to disengage the satlink when a program lit up, the 'secure communications program'. Harry raised an eyebrow.

The program was a means of communicating securely while within the United States, practically full proof.

Harry slid a finger against the casing of his laptop beside the screen there was a hidden fingerprint scanner.

The program launched asking for a password, followed by a security sentence, and then today's code word.

After entering all the information a simple window opened up stating.

'_Initiate counter observation.__'_

Harry close the laptop lid and went over to his car, a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and grabbed from the back seat what looked like an umbrella.

As he sat down he opened it up muttered a simple sticking charm.

The umbrella wasn't just for keeping the rain off, it was layer with various spells and charms which made it almost impossible for any 'observation satellites' to see him, any American satellites that is.

'_Counter observation measures open and ready.'_ Harry typed and waited for the second or two as the information was encoded using an advanced and complex code and transmitted. Around 4 seconds later a response came in the form of a long message.

'Requested you attend to incident in Alexandria, Virginia. Incident; auction being conducted selling artefacts, observed by external agents. Night Wolf requests you handle personally.'

'_I thought we didn't handle anything within the USA, that's what the General…and others told me. Artefacts get sold occasionally, I thought we can't interfere?' _Harry typed into the laptop, he didn't bother asking about the external agents, that was just a euphemism for MI6 spies, a few seconds later a reply came.

'Artefacts were stolen from UNIT safe houses in the 1960s and 1980s during purges, positive identification of Dalek weapons technology and biological samples. UNIT cannot interfere with military troops, you will be acting alone as an agent of UNIT.'

'Who's investigating?'

'NCIS.' Harry looked at the computer…NCIS….

'Why the Navy?'

'Naval Criminal Investigative Services had an operative within the auction, for unknown reasons, external agents also witnessed two naval men also entering auction. Events unknown, auction now crime scene.'

Harry leaned back in his chair for a moment.

'_Status of agents?'_

'Retreating to secondary cover, unable to assist.'

'_Fine, I'll be there, is NCIS already on scene?'_

'ETA 5 minutes.'

'_I need coordinates, out of the way…have car…dimensions follow…'_ Harry typed in his car's dimensions, he knew whoever it was on the other end knew of his abilities…despite the fact that he hadn't really practised moving a car further than about 100 kilometres…but needs must, and he didn't want to end up with his car half inside a building.

'Coordinates following, utilise UNIT pass and your passport, information will be added giving freer passage…Keep the other intelligence agencies away from this case, Night Wolf Out.'

As the coordinates came through the connection shut itself down.

Harry stared at the coordinates for a second remembering them before packing up all of his things and throwing them into his car.

Checking his map just in case he sat in the car and held the side of the door and the dashboard and thought hard for a moment, concentrating.

The 1970 Ford Mustang swirled for a moment, and melted away into the wind…and reappeared in a back alley of an abandoned building, some 20 kilometres from the crime scene, the sun had well and truly risen while he'd been talking to Night Wolf.

"Fun." Harry muttered to himself as he started the engine and flicked the radio on.

The sounds of The Who's 'I can see for miles' filled the 1970 Ford Mustang as it tore out of the alley way its engine growling.

Harry got out of his car and pulled on his battered Basilisk jacket, it had survived upwards of 60 degree weather, extreme UV levels and being exposed to vacuum…but it was still his favourite jacket, tucking the UNIT id into it and making sure had a weapon inside his jacket…and not just his wand, a regular gun as well, as well as various spell catalysers and other things secreted about his person he strode up to the law enforcement officer standing by the crime scene tape.

He could see the NCIS vehicles already there both the agent's big van and the Medical Examiner's two smaller vans.

Harry flashed his id with a smile, the local LEO barely looked at it as he walked through.

Harry shrugged and continued on into the building and observed for a few moments.

"…got a time of death Ducky?"

"Gerald has already begun loading the bodies…from what I can tell…inconclusive."

"Why's that Ducky?" Harry moved across the hall opposite the door so he could see in a mirror reflecting the image, it was a woman who asked the question.

"Because Kate the thermostat is broken in here…but it wasn't on according to the manager…"

"But it is now…so…"

"No fixed room temp…" Another man's voice.

"And who are you?" Harry turned and saw a man with grey hair poking out from underneath an NCIS cap who had come through the door, he had one hand on his weapon.

Harry smiled and reached for his pocket, the man tensed.

"Just reaching for my id…" Harry pulled it out and opened it in front of the NCIS agent.

"Kate, DiNozzo." The man barked.

"Boss…who are…"

"Kate check his id." Harry smiled at the two agents and continued to hold his id out, if they were NCIS agents they would have at least enough clearance to know about UNIT enough to check who he was.

"So…who are you?" The man DiNozzo said looking at him.

"He's holding out his id Tony…" She raised both eyebrows as she read it.

"UNIT?"

"You what it?"

"Why don't we continue this inside here…I'm rather interested to know what exactly they were selling." Harry said as he walked past them into the room.

"Huh…" Harry said as he looked around, there was some a lot of kit laid out around the room, some had already been bagged and tagged, other items were still on tables.

"Well Kate who is he?"

"According to his id he's from UNIT."

"Again what's UNIT?" DiNozzo complained as he pulled out another set of bags for the room.

"Who is he?" Gibbs stared at the man who was walking around the room hands stuffed in his pockets _not _touching anything, which was good at least.

"Lieutenant Harry Potter. He is who he says he is…"

"When we get back I want full details on him." Gibbs said as he grabbed a bunch of evidence bags out of Tony's hands and walked towards Lieutenant Potter.

"Fine I'll bite, what's UNIT Kate?"

"They're a United Nations group, part investigation, part army, they don't operate much within the US though, I remember the President being called away from a meeting to speak with a UNIT representative…they deal with some…esoteric stuff Tony…" Kate said with a small scowl. Tony grinned.

"You get that cute dimple when you're angry Kate, so what's he doing here?"

Tony said looking around the room.

"Kate DiNozzo, stop chatting and get to work!" Gibbs shouted.

"What's UNIT's interest here?" Harry turned as the man…Agent Gibbs walked over to where he was standing looking over the tables of…items.

Harry had already noted several…worrisome artefacts, various pieces of alien technology, some badly backwards converted items dating from what appeared to be the 1980s and several magical items.

Harry stared at the man and looked around the room, there were still some law enforcement officers milling around, and the two other NCIS agents bagging tagging and performing other tasks.

"I couldn't just be here for…" Harry paused for a moment searching for the correct piece of double speak "…'Inter-departmental work'?"

"No. Put these on." He handed Harry a pair of gloves. Harry easily put them on.

During his 18 months training he'd worked with the Night Wolf pathologist, learning how to recognise various causes of death, he'd also been shown how to work a crime scene…he'd actually attended that 'course' out of curiosity for what it entailed, along with a variety of other classes, courses and studies, just because he was curious.

"I'll just have a wander around Agent Gibbs…just to make sure there's nothing that will kill us…or prematurely end the world." Harry said as he walked away from the Agent.

Walking around the tables he passed several items which which ever Ministry for Magic probably wouldn't have liked to be seen auctioned; two time turners, one broken, its main rotational wheel had snapped a second looked to be complete.

"So…What'd you do in UNIT?" Agent DiNozzo said as he sauntered up behind Harry and picked up the not broken time turner staring at it and was about to try and turn it on its axis.

"Be _very _careful with that Agent DiNozzo…" Harry almost shouted, drawing the attention of the two other agents.

"Why, what is it?"

"Just…Just be careful with it…you wouldn't want to accidentally disappear." Harry said as he gently took the time turner out of the Agent's hands and grabbed an evidence bag from the Agent's pockets and sealed it up and handed it back to him.

"There, better sign it, chain of evidence and all that."

"Why don't…" Tony stared, the UNIT guy had already walked swiftly across the room.

Harry was moving quickly because he saw Agent Gibbs and …Kate, whatever he last name was getting ready to open a Perspex container to get at what was inside, the Perspex looked like it had already cracked.

"Have you got any biohazard containers?"

"We have back in the truck." Kate looked to Gibbs.

"Why should we do that Lieutenant Potter?"

"Because you're going to want to use a biohazard container…probably full upper body protection and make sure you seal it properly and treat it…" Harry paused trying to think of what would be a good analogy for what was in the box…what he thought was in the box. "Treat it as though you would treat a biological agent capable of decimating a city."

"Do we need to call in the…"

"No." Harry cut her off. "When dealt with…it is safe enough…it requires prolonged direct contact." Harry said staring at the small sample of the dark green sample which resembled a small bulb in its dormant state, he'd only ever seen a sketch and a low resolution image of a Varga Plant, however the description that the Doctor gave in a casual conversation with the Brigadier in the 1970s was enough to worry him. Like Devil's Snare, the Womping Willow and a bit of vampirism all on steroids…and bio-engineered by the Daleks, made for a freakish image. Harry was additionally worried that there was a sample on Earth, a sample that had been auctioned off in America of all places.

He shuddered to think what their intelligence agencies would do if they got a hold of a useable sample of Varga plant.

Harry continued to walk around until he got to a small section behind the stage that they'd separated, there was what appeared to be a small explosion…then he saw it, the large box on wheels…and what was left of the man…and his shadow baked against the wall.

Quickly he backed away from the area.

He found agent Gibbs watching him.

"You found something?" He said taking in Harry's worried expression.

"Has you ME left yet?"

"DiNozzo, get Ducky!"

"Do you have a Geiger counter in your truck?" Harry asked very calmly.

"Tony."

"Yes boss." Agent DiNozzo spun around in a half run and stared back at them.

"Get the Geiger counter, middle row left hand side in the truck."

"Right boss…" He turned to run out the door. "Hang on Geiger..."

"Get a move on."

"Right."

Harry dug his hands into his pockets, while he enjoyed working alone, and han't minded it before UNIT and Night Wolf, his 18 months training and working out what he wanted and needed to do had taught him some things, such as working as part of a team, having back up…and knowing how to operate alone…on something as big as this…if they weren't in America he'd have back up, even some back up of some kind…it was weird being back alone…

Gibbs studied the young Lieutenant before him, he was…interesting, and if he was from UNIT that would mean something else entirely…

But it was the Lieutenant's eyes that stood out, bright green…eyes that had seen a lot, more than his age gave away.

Tony came running back with the Geiger counter, Ducky and Gerald trailing behind him.

"Here boss…" Harry grabbed the Geiger counter from Agent DiNozzo's hands and switched it on.

The needle stayed where it was. Harry let out a sight and walked toward where he had been standing, listening and watching the counter.

"Boss shouldn't we…?"

"DiNozzo do you know what a Geiger counter is?"

"Yeah…so?" Tony said evidently not really knowing what it did.

"Tony it detects radiation!"

"Yeah but only background stuff, if it wasn't we'd all be like dead…wouldn't we?"

"Are you worried that you're not going to be able to carry your legacy?" Kate muttered.

"Gotta carry on the DiNozzo line." He grinned.

Harry watched the fluctuating needle as he approached the large box that had been hooked into the three phase power supply.

It worried Harry for one that he recognised it, and two because if it worked it was boarder line lethal.

Walking right up to the box the needle jumped slightly, but it was no where near even a dangerous exposure.

The body had been a man's…he guessed, and had most likely taken a lower charged though still very lethal part of the blast throwing him back and baking him partially into the wall and carpet.

"Badly phased projected energy weapon…" Harry muttered to himself heaving a sigh of relief that the radiation wasn't lethal.

Harry walked back and handed Agent DiNozzo the counter.

"You can go in doctor…"

"Mallard…everyone calls me Ducky…and you are…"

"He's helping us Ducky…let's go and see what's there…"

"Oh my…Gerald you'll need to get the tools from the van…"

"The heavy duty ones doctor?"

"Yes and several specimen jars just in case we can't move him in one go."

"What happened to this guy Ducky?"

"I don't know Jethro…It reminds me of a case involving a murder who liked to dispose of his bodies in council incinerators…but one day he was putting one of his victims in and fell in himself…he supposedly survived at least two firings of the incinerator…"

"Did he escape?"

"Of course not Tony, but he did come out baked into what appeared to be a refrigerator…"

"What about this guy Ducky?" Gibbs said again.

"A bit of a mystery…to cause this much deterioration and burning of the flesh and clothes he'd need to have been on fire…but look around him…it's almost as if the carpet and the wall were superheated for a moment, without any of the signs of actual fire…I'll have to wait until we get him and the others back to the lab…"

"What made you so worried about radiation Lieutenant Potter?" Harry turned and walked toward where Agent…Kate was standing.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name…Kate…?"

"Agent Todd, NC…"

"Yeah I got that part the cap is a little obvious." Harry said smiling.

"She asked a valid question Lieutenant, and a straight forward answer…" Gibbs said.

"Can we unplug it?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably…did the manage say anything about a black out?"

Gibbs turned to Kate who looked down at her computer.

"He did mention the whole city block went out, then a few minutes later all the breakers blew in this building, he had to isolate this room."

"Then yes it is most likely safe to unplug it…"

"What is it that Tony's unplugging…"

"Done!"

"Unplugged." Gibbs stared at Harry Harry starred back at him.

"It's an energy converter and exchanger, relying on some form of betavoltaics in addition to pulling out probably all the power from the state for a short time." Harry reeled off.

"Okay…what does it do?" Tony asked after a moment.

"It powers something…and was most likely used against this guy." Harry jabbed a thumb downwards.

"What sort of something."

"Hopefully the something had been destroyed when they powered it up…" Harry said ominously with a smile.

"You can load it onto a truck and transport it."

"Is it safe?" Todd asked.

"About as safe as a smoke detector, or the Cassini space probe." Harry said dismissively.

"Kate order the truck to come pick it up. Tony keep bagging."

Harry wondered off allowing them to continue their work, outside of the main room that had been used for the auction there were other smaller rooms which were being canvassed by other NCIS officers.

Harry continued to walk aimlessly allowing himself time to think.

He knew that if the other agencies got wind of something with as many artefacts they'd be all over it.

It was fortunate that the Navy had a vested interest in this case with 3 of their officers down.

It would mean they would want to hold onto the case, above and beyond any of the other agencies…but it would also involve telling them something…something UNIT related.

In theory he didn't need to make them sign the official secrets act…and any information learnt either from him or in the course on the investigation the NCIS people would need to take up with their own intelligence agencies, considering UNIT didn't operate any 'military' force within the US…so telling these agents something was a possibility…

Harry found himself wandering back to the main room where the 3 agents and the ME were finishing up.

"Finished?"

"Yeah. Some pretty freaky stuff for sale here."

"Depends on your point of view Agent DiNozzo." Harry said with a smile.

"You're coming with us back to NCIS."

"I'll follow you Agent Gibbs." Harry said smoothly.

"Follow us…"

"How did you think I got here? Walked?" Harry asked as he walked with them out to the road.

"Oh my god…is that…." Tony started to say.

"What?" Todd said looking around.

"I'll follow you back then Agent Gibbs." Harry said and made a beeline for his car.

--//

Hermione Granger opened up her laptop and started it up warming her hands on the mug of tea in front of her as she tried to wake up against the cold.

She was sitting outside the communal tent at one of the benches, there wasn't much wind, but the blue sun that was still shining on the horizon provided little heat until the planet she was currently on rotated to face the other closer yellow sun.

Hermione smiled to herself, it was almost a grin, had someone told her two years ago that she would be working and learning with a higher than top secret organization and studying on another planet…well first she'd check that she wasn't talking to Harry and then she'd probably have called them mad.

She'd been on this planet for the past two weeks completing study as part of her in the field section on Xeno-Archaeology.

It was so…interesting and exciting, so much more so than the regular archaeology classes she took at Cambridge, here she was uncovering pieces that no human had ever seen, records never gazed upon by a human eye…and this planet never trodden on by a human being…

It was also most likely never to be settled as anything more than an Investigative Outpost for the duration of their visit, while the sensor report did state it had some unusual trace elements, it was a waste land…and there was something else.

Most people who had initially studied here got headaches…not just headaches, cramps, muscle pains and various other ailments, it was cause by a form of fall out.

It wasn't dangerous, and it certainly didn't affect Hermione…which was one of the reasons why she'd been allowed back here for a second month long study.

The Night Wolf people had used an array of sensors to determine what it was, it was only after Gilliam Brown had come down and positioned a theory that they knew what to look for.

Temporal fallout.

It was like radiation, except it wasn't…and affected people who didn't have any experience with a temporal field.

It could be beaten with various pain killers and whatever, it didn't occur immediately but it did start to irritate…

There were a however, people who had been exposed to a temporal field…or had travelled in time were immune to the temporal fallout.

Hermione Granger pretty much qualified for that considering she'd spent…a year time travelling…not that she'd thought of it that way…though after talking with the people at Night Wolf…and even pausing to think of what she had been doing…the damage to space time could have be huge.

But her year long experience was worth something even after all those classes…she got to work closely with…the leader of this exhibition Gilliam Brown where some of the other students who were on the dig could only last a few hours before getting bad headaches and whatever else.

Hermione pulled up the email program and watched as it connected to the local network that was set up here and downloaded her messages, well message.

They only could only receive and send messages around once a week when a ship passed within the maximum transmission range of their 4 meter wide dish that they had on the ground a short distance from their base.

The technology involved was interesting…and complicated, Hermione had asked…once and…it had something to do with signal modulation and bouncing the signal off solid surfaces of planetary bodies…or something.

It wasn't as though she or indeed many of the people around here could send messages home, there was only so many ways you could write a general letter that didn't give anything away or breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Mostly anyone you could talk to about what they were doing here was already here, or on the other side of the planet where the other team was stationed.

But Hermione received emails from Harry during his tenure training and then following being officially ordered off duty…

The program flashed indicating that it had finished uploading to her computer and decoding the message.

Hermione read through the email with a smile, it was always good to hear from Harry when she was away from Earth…she'd had to tell Ginny and Ron not to try and send her owls direct…that would be quite hard Hermione thought looking up at the orangey blue sky. But instead they sent letter to her parents house and they held onto them until she returned…Ginny and Ron still couldn't understand how she could be somewhere that owls _couldn't _find her.

Hermione stifled a laugh as she opened a picture that Harry had sent in response to her question of 'I haven't seen you for ages, how are you…you're not up to any mischief', Hermione totally failed to stop herself from laughing and decided just to laugh at the photo Harry had sent.

"What's got you laughing so early Hermione?" Hermione looked over her laptop screen at Prof…at Gilliam Brown, she still had to stop herself sometimes from calling her Professor.

"Just Harry sending me a photo with his email…" She shook her head and grinned turning the laptop around so her lecturer and team leader could see the image.

It was a picture of Harry lying on the bonnet of his car a red and black…car, he had his dark black wings fully out and he was lying in a…suggestive pose his shirt quite open and he was gazing…into the camera seductively.

Gilliam smiled and let out a small chuckle.

"He certainly is an interesting guy."

"Yeah…he's definitely that…"

"Is that why you're up at the crack of dawn to download his emails each time we get an upload?" Gilliam asked warming her hands on her cup of coffee.

Hermione shrugged.

"We just spent so much time together at school, it's just nice to be able to discuss what we're doing out here…" Hermione looked around them. "So what are we doing today…I saw you setting up the sensor grid yesterday…"

Gilliam smiled, Hermione Granger was one of the most dedicated and eager students she had, that wasn't to say that anyone else was less dedicated or eager…but Hermione had her own brand of eagerness…plus there was her ability to work for longer periods in the stronger areas of temporal fallout without any ill-effects.

"You, Geoff and myself are going into the caves that I had the sensor grid do a sweep of over night, there's some concentrations of…something in there, Samuel is going to be taking the others lower down the mountain to continue the transcribing work there."

Hermione nodded, Geoff had also had long term exposure to a temporal field…something about living in a lighthouse and a 'temporal baffle'…or something like that. Samuel's parents were antiquity collectors who'd had a pair of time turners on their mantle piece, supposedly just being around them as he grew up made sure he had some sort of resistance to a time field.

"Caves…lovely." Hermione said with trace amounts of sarcasm she'd picked up from hanging around Harry too much.

"Hermione you're not usually that glib."

"I've been in a few caves Gilliam…"

"So have I Hermione, they usually end in danger, death, some running up and down corridor…"

"Meglomaniacs, complex puzzles, evil…" Hermione added.

"From the dawn of time etc…" Gilliam said with a smile, touches of her American, or what Hermione guessed was an American accent shinning through, they both chuckled.

--//

Harry sat in his car behind the NCIS truck listening to radio and occasionally glancing at the temperature gauge, which was holding steady some where in the middle. The reason he was doing so what because he, the NCIS truck and if he leaned out he could see the ME's vans also stuck in the traffic jam, he was looking at the temperature gauge mainly because his Triumph Stag had a nasty habit of overheating in heavy traffic.

"Kate, what's Tony looking at?" Gibbs said staring out the front, the leos appeared to be deliberately taking their time clearing the road.

Kate looked over to Tony who was staring at the wing mirror of the truck.

"Looks like the Lieutennant's car."

"That isn't just a car, that's a Boss 302 Ford Mustang, one of the classic muscle cars…I always wanted one of those…" He muttered the last part to himself.

"What did you make of him Kate? Profile him." Gibbs said sipping from a Styrofoam cup that neither of the two agents had seen him obtain before they started their journey 40 minute journey back to HQ.

"He's young, early 20s…well educated, most likely in England…"

"But his accent was all…weird." Tony butted in.

"Thanks Tony, I was just getting to that if you hadn't rudely interrupted."

"Can't I add to the conversation?" He asked.

"Go back to lusting after the car Tony." Kate countered.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Gibbs…Lieutenant Potter had a mixed accent, I'd say he spent most of his developing years in England…but he's obviously shifted there to one of the Commonwealth countries within the last 5 to 8 years…or he works around a lot of people from…" Kate paused thinking over how Lieutenant Potter had spoken. "Maybe Australia."

"He knows a lot more than he's telling us."

"Ya think Tony?"

"Gibbs…what do you know about UNIT?"

Gibbs continued to stare out the window.

"Kate says they deal with the weird and wacky." Tony grinned, Kate elbowed him in the ribs.

"I did not say _that_."

"Not enough…they're an intelligence agency. The only time I've seen them is in the distance…firing on some silver body armour clad guys…in Afghanistan…they evac-ed out before we could get there…" Kate and Tony exchanged a look, Gibbs almost never spoke about his past.

"Traffic's moving." Tony said breaking the silence.

Gibbs grabbed the gear stick throwing the NCIS truck forward into the breach.

Harry walked into the morgue where the ME Doctor Donald Mallard was just finishing washing the first of the 5 people who had been removed from the site was waiting.

"Ah Jethro…and Lieutenant Potter…just in time for the beginning…" Harry raised an eyebrow at Doctor Mallard's showmanship.

Harry walked over to the rubber glove box and grabbed two putting them on…after seeing what he did he wanted to check something…just in case.

"Do you mind Doctor Mallard…I just want to check something, before you go ahead and cut them open…?" Harry asked walking over to the body that Mallard had just washed down.

"Gibbs?" Harry looked over Gibbs just nodded slowly.

Harry didn't bother looking up as Kate and Tony walked through he door, instead he pressed his fingers at the points along the deceased man's chest, stomache and throat, it was these places that you were able to tell if someone had been shot with a powerful phased energy weapon…or that was what he'd been shown at Night Wolf…the internal organs and fine tissues in those places were super heated for a moment, killing the victim.

"Gibbs what…" Kate started, Gibbs held up a hand.

"Doctor Mallard…"

"Ducky…"

"Ducky…right…I'm not sure what you'll make of this man…"'

"How can you tell from just that examination."

"His insides were scrambled…a nasty death…"

"His insides…" Ducky started.

"Electrocution?" Kate Todd started to ask.

"We'll leave that up to the autopsy and Abby won't we?" Ducky said moving around the table.

"Gibbs the director wants to see you and Lieutenant Potter in MTAC." Gibbs stared at Tony.

"I'll see myself up…" Harry said moving through the doors, as they shut Gibbs turned to face Tony and Kate.

"Pull everything on UNIT's station in the US, and anything you can find on him."

"We were already on it boss when the director…" Gibbs was already walking out the of the morgue.

--//

_Welcome to my new story._

_Any questions feel free to ask and I'll endeavour to respond._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 2**

Gibbs stared up at the entrance to MTAC, Lieutenant Potter was there waiting for him…precisely how he had got up there that quickly was interesting given that the 4 stories were separated by 8 flights of emergency stairs, the doors of which set off the fire alarms…there was also the fact that _he _had seen Potter enter the elevator.

Harry looked down at Gibbs as he leaned against the wall of the Multiple Threat Alert Centre, he could have just disappeared and reappeared inside the room, as he had done from the lift outside the morgue into a darkened corner of the NCIS offices up here…but that might be slightly telling, plus they might operate under the 'shoot first interrogate the remains' dictum.

Harry met Agent Gibbs' gaze and dipped his head slightly and watched the man stick his eye at the eye level iris scanner and followed him into the darkened room.

It was a bit like a movie theatre…if the movie was showing what looked like a battle going on behind a man in a UNIT uniform.

"and the same to you Brigadier…" the image cut to static and a tall man turned to face Harry and Agent Gibbs.

"Director."

"Gibbs…and you must be Lieutenant Potter."

"Director." Harry said not having found out any further name than that.

"I've just been on with the Brigadier who heads up the Los Angeles stations…he was indisposed when we spoke." Director Morrow said.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Looked more than that director, sounded like a M136 going off there…where was he?"

"He didn't disclose his location Agent Gibbs…but it was within America…" The Director turned to face Harry. "They said they can't give us any information on…the events, the crime scene or anything over an 'unsecured line' despite the fact that this is probably one of the most secure rooms in the United States."

Harry nodded slowly considering his choices…

"I want to know something Lieutenant Potter, I can't allow UNIT to just wander into our investigation on a whim and fancy."

Harry nodded once more.

"Very well…I'd suggest we make this conversation as private as possible…" Harry said looking over to the communications operators to the side of them.

"They all have the highest clearance." The Director said, almost automatically.

"There are different kinds of clearances director."

The director stared at him for a few seconds, Harry stared back at him, unmoving.

Then the director moved away clearing the room a minute later he walked back to them.

"There the room is clear and isolated…"

"Good." Harry said as he patted down his pockets. "I'm sure I put them in here…" He muttered to himself removing 4 black blocks, slotting them together, sliding a switch a small red LED began to flash.

"Just in case…you never know…the most secure places are sometimes the easiest to bug." He said by way of explanation.

"What's UNIT's interest in the auction in Alexandria?"

"I'll answer that if you tell me why you had an NCIS agent at the auction." Harry countered.

"How did you…" Harry smiled and shrugged. The director and Gibbs looked at him.

"I'll answer your question when you answer mine…" Harry said needlessly as he looked around the room.

"We were investigating the possible sale of weapons technology, some of which had been smuggled in from our operations outside of the country."

Harry nodded.

"How did you know about the operation, our call was because of the two sailors, the LEOs found their ID." Gibbs said looking at him.

Harry ignored the question.

"UNIT's interest…there were several…" Harry trailed off trying to think of a term to use instead of alien and wand user (and quite possibly other magical) items and technology. "Artefacts which were stolen from UNIT in the 1960s and 80s."

The director nodded.

"Let me ask you this Lieutenant Potter, why shouldn't I just say thank you and goodnight? Then have Agent Gibbs escort you from the building?" He asked reasonably.

Harry raised an eyebrow and wondered what they'd if they tried that and he disappeared into a cloud of nothing…or transformed into a raven and flew out of the building…probably shoot on site.

"Because you're the best people to be investigating this…because there are any number of organizations who would want to get their hands on what you have in your evidence lockup…would take you navy men's bodies…and all their familles would get is a sealed casket most likely filled with bricks. They would also be more interested in finding whoever killed the people there and offering them a job…or on the off chance they weren't willing, torturing them for information." Harry said looking between the two men.

"Which organizations?" Gibbs asked.

"CIA, NSA, FBI…the people that work out of Areas 51, 52 or 53…" The director's eyebrows shot up at his mention of the final two. "Then there's the other covert branches that don't even have names or fixed areas of operation…" Harry added.

The two men were quiet in front of him for a few moments.

"What does UNIT want."

"I'll help you investigate this, find who did it, I'll play by your rules…" More or less. Harry thought to himself. "I'll assist you in bringing the culprit to justice and find out if there was anything more to this, your weapons trafficking for example."

"I sense a then coming." Gibbs said.

"Then, I will take all the…artefacts that are UNIT's." They looked about to say something. "This case would never reach court…and even if it did you couldn't enter what you may or may not learn throughout this investigation into it."

"What might I learn?"

"I wouldn't want to say in front of the director…plus you need to come at it…in due time."

"Why shouldn't I know?"

"Plausible deniability, the agencies will be coming to make a grab for everything…even if you run the tightest organization there are always information leaks…if I tell you nothing you can keep them out and make sure NCIS handles this…they won't be able to tell you anything because that would breach their own security in doing so."

The director blinked a few times.

"Ever thought about politics?"

"In school it did cross my mind."

"Why didn't you pursue it?"

"To busy fighting megalomaniacs out for my blood."

Gibbs looked at the Lieutenant as he said that, there was something about his voice, even just the casualness in which he said it, Gibbs was almost certain that Potter wasn't joking.

"Why do you think the director sent everyone out of MTAC?" Tony said through a mouthful of apple.

"Do you have to Tony?"

Tony made a 'what' face as he swallowed a mouthful of apple.

"So what have we got on UNIT and this Potter guy?" He said as he walked over to Kate's workstation.

"Not much more…UNIT stands for the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce…it was formed in the United Kingdom in the early 70s...following that spate of 'terrorist attacks' and 'mass hallucinations' in London. There's a UNIT base in all European countries and in Australia and New Zealand…"

"What about the Potter kid…"

"Nothing…well…Tony!" Kate stared at him as he took another bite of his apple and continued to much on it nearly dripping juice on her.

"Sorry…didn't have breakfast this morning."

"Kate've you found out about Lieutenant Potter?" Gibbs said as he came around the corner.

"Where is _he?_"

"Finishing a discussion with the director, well?"

Kate stood up clicking on the flat panel.

"I couldn't find much…he entered the country on a UN passport…" A photo flashed up on the screen. "It states that his country of origin is England, born in a small village called Godric's Hollow…he currently resides within Australia."

"Explains the weird accent." Tony said taking another bit of his apple.

"Interesting…" Kate said as she read her screen.

"What Kate?"

"In addition to the car that Tony was so fascinated with…."

"1970 Mustang…classic…." Tony muttered to himself.

"Potter purchased a few weapons…" Kate hit a button and images appeared on the screen.

"Browning Hi-Power, Glock 17, Beretta 92 and…a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun…" Gibbs reeled off.

"What could he possibly need all those for?"

"Perhaps I'm paranoid." Kate and Tony turned to see Harry leaning against Tony's desk.

"How did you…?"

"Life wouldn't be interesting if people explained everything to you agent DiNozzo." Harry said with a smile. "Reading up on me Agent Gibbs?"

"We were just checking you know…"

"Yes we were Lieutenant Potter." Gibbs looked around at him.

"Fine. That's about all you'll find of my activities here, unless you could the places I've stayed and visited…or would you like to know the specifics…" Harry paused looking off into the distance. "I did visit a Madam dominatrix in Las Vegas…" Harry said with a grin as Tony dropped his apple. "It was the only place to get a decent cup of tea." He flashed Kate a smile.

The phone rang, Agent Gibbs grabbed it.

"That's Ducky…he wants us down in autopsy, and you as well."

"So what have you got Ducky?" Gibbs asked as he walked in with Kate, DiNozzo and Lt Potter trailing behind him.

"I don't know Jethro…how did you know Lieutenant Potter, without even opening him up?" Ducky gazed at Potter, worried and curious at the same time.

"What is it Ducky?" Kate asked breaking the silence that had somehow birthed itself in the room.

"His insides, all his organs were…scrambled like an egg, with absolutely no outward indications of trauma, nothing…so Lieutenant Potter enlighten us…" He looked back to Potter who had walked over to the second body.

"What about this person?"

"Our agent Matthew Cornell…" Harry smiled to himself, not letting it show on his face as he followed Ducky over to the second gurney.

"Hey, hey, hey….what about answering Ducky's question?" Agent DiNozzo was waving his hands at Harry, who turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think I wasn't going to answer the question."

"Of course you weren't." Gibbs replied simply.

"Well?"

Harry walked back over to the man who was lying on the gurney, the man who Ducky had finished his autopsy on.

"Do you know who he was?"

"I've sent the prints up to Abbey, Seaman Byrne and Petty Officer Irvine are over there Gerald is prepping them."

Harry looked across the room to where the two seamen lay.

"This man was hit with a highly concentrated projected energy weapon." Harry said as if it explained everything.

Four people stared back at him.

"A what now?" Agent DiNozzo stared at him.

"This man was flash fried from the inside, it would have been instantaneous…though still painful enough to shout out…quite a nasty way." Harry said with some motioning of the hand, the three NCIS agents stared at him, Harry redirected his attention to Ducky.

"So Doctor Mallard…" Harry caught a look. "Sorry Ducky…what about your Mr Cornell?"

"Yes…he is another mystery, one which has many more questions than I can provide answers for now…"

"Not like you to admit defeat so quickly Ducky." Gibbs walked over to the man, the NCIS agent on the gurney.

"I had only begun my preliminary autopsy Jethro…it reminds me of a case in Missouri some years ago…an officer had spent a rather long time on the town consuming…god knows what substances then he urinated on signal box…it was quite a sight according to the agents who reviewed the security footage…"

Harry looked from the body to Ducky and then to the three NCIS agents, Gibbs just seemed to be ignorinig it, the other two returned his confused looks.

"Uh…right…" Harry said slowly. "So what exactly has you puzzled Doctor Mallard with this cadaver?"

DiNozzo mouthed 'Cadaver?' to Kate who shrugged at him.

"This man shares some of the symptoms of the officer…except no evidence thus far of drugs in his system, I've sent blood and urine to Abby…but what is interesting is his whole system is still in a state of shock…look…" He pointed to the arms and chest of the man, they had goose bumps and the skin was tight and rigid.

"Uh Ducky you sure this guy is dead…isn't that the sort of thing you can only do when you've got…blood and stuff?"

"You're quite right Tony, in fact it is biologically impossible for goose bumps or _cutis anserina _to form on a deceased person…not to mention that the muscles are in a state of tension and rigidity that unless my gurney were electrified and the body in a saline solution should be impossible."

"I don't even want to know how you know that Duck." Gibbs said as he walked around the table studying the Lieutenant Potter who had a growing look of concern on his face.

"Doctor Mallard…Ducky…conclusions on cause of death?" Harry said as he digested what the pathologist had said, the symptoms described could be linked to a few causes…but only one matched it exactly…and it introduced an extra level into this whole affair.

Doctor Mallard was quiet for a short moment.

"Ducky?"

"Yes…I was just completing my analysis of the heart and surrounding tissue when you came in…there isn't anything wrong with his heart…there are no bullet holes, and there is nothing…_strange _as with him." He gestured to the man they had just been studying.

"So cause of death is unknown?" Kate asked.

"Pending further investigation." Mallard said gazing at the body.

--//

Harry grabbed onto side of the door as Gibbs took another corner at speed, Harry didn't mind travelling at speed…in fact he liked it…when he was driving…not when the guy driving paused to sip from his 3 huge cup of coffee that day…how Gibbs kept getting them was annoying him slightly.

They heading (at high speed) to the USS _Cushing_ Petty Officer Second Class Irvine and Seaman Byrne's ship that had been ordered out on…some mission, they hadn't been given details, Harry might have suspected that they were keeping those particulars from him, however they asked…well Gibbs told him to come along.

He hadn't managed yet to meet the lab technician this Abby that Doctor Mallard had mentioned.

"So Lieutenant Potter, what made you want to join UNIT?" Agent Todd asked him, she had given up trying to do…whatever it was she was doing as they weaved in and out of the heavy traffic.

Harry shrugged and then smiled.

"UNIT is an interesting job…you could say I walked into it and met my commanding officer in the process."

"What's the name of your CO?" Gibbs called looking at him in the rear view mirror.

"That might…or might not be classified Agent Gibbs so I'll err on the side of caution and say…Classified."

"We've got the highest clearance…and Kate used to protect the president." DiNozzo turned around and grinned at Kate.

"I can tell my own story Tony."

"Still can't…as the Official Secrets Act doesn't have any legs to stand on here…well…" Harry said simply. "As they say in the movies Agent DiNozzo…" Harry put on a faux American accent "'If I told you I'd have to kill you'." Harry smiled a mad smile towards the front of the car.

Harry walked with the three agents up to the ship.

"The USS Cushing…a Spruance class built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi." Harry looked up at the 171 meter long ship.

"How'd you know that Lieutenant Potter?"

"Aside from these sorts of things being no real secret, I read it on Agent Todd's computer while you were quizzing me." Harry shrugged.

"Right…"

"Agent Gibbs."

"Captain, Agent Todd and DiNozzo, NCIS…" Gibbs looked at Harry for a moment. "Lieutenant Potter…special assignment from UNIT."

Harry merely nodded to the captain who stared at him for a moment.

"My XO will show your agents to Petty Officer Irvine and Seaman Byrne's bunks."

"Good."

"Tony you take Lieutenant Potter and go over the Seaman's bunk."

"Right boss."

"Gibbs, why'd you send Potter off with Tony?"

"Why shouldn't I Kate?"

"I…I just thought that you might not trust him yet."

"That's why I sent him with Tony, if he's going to do something…"

"He's more likely to do something in front of Tony…" Kate said, Gibbs turned around to face her in the narrow corridor.

"Yes…but Tony can be discreet…"

"Not with women…or eating…or bodily functions…or…" Kate continued to list various things as they walked through towards Petty Officer William Irvine's bunk.

"Mmm…What a wonderful smell…" Harry said with no small amounts of sarcasm as they walked into the bunk that Seaman Lance Byrne had once held.

"What's that Potter?"

"Call my Harry Agent DiNozzo if we're going to be working together…or at least pretending to be while you watch me try to do something suspicious."

Tony blinked several times as he passed Harry a pair of gloves and some evidence bags.

"The who to the what now?"

"I've studied in more that one discipline…and it's what my CO would probably tell me to do if this situation were to come up Agent DiNozzo." Harry said as he pulled on his gloves.

"Call me Tony Harry…" Tony looked to the Lt who was pulling out the bunk and stripping it of all its bedding before turning back to the locker where Seaman Byrne's effects still lay.

Harry ran his gloved hands around the inside of the bunk, no hidden trapdoors, no trip wires and nothing exactly deadly nor worrying.

Tilting his head he stared at the mattress for a second and then grabbed for his knife in his pocket and began slitting along the middle of the mattress.

"Huh…I wonder if the Seaman ever got a good night's sleep…" Harry said as he withdrew a few items from the mattress.

Tony turned around as he was bagging the Seaman's personal items and stared, Lt….Harry had slit the mattress apart with what must have been a very sharp knife, and was holding several…odd things.

Harry looked down at the items he'd removed; a sneakascope, a wizarding photo showing what looked like an open cut mine explosion…and more worrying a large piece of tinclavic.

He carefully bagged each item, signing and dating it before reaching back into the mattress his hand closing on a final plastic bag, he pulled it out and stood chuckling to himself.

"Drugs?" Tony asked looking at the ball of green tendrils.

"Something a lot of sailors…swimmers and probably people in the intelligence parts of the navy would like to use…but probably wouldn't be able to explain or reconcile the events…" Harry placed slighty squashed but by no means small clump of gillyweed into the evidence bag and put it all into the NCIS bag that Tony provided.

"This is certainly becoming more interesting by the minute…" Harry mutter more to himself than the NCIS agent. "Did you find anything interesting?"

"Personnel stuff…note book…" He held it up for Harry.

"Is it usual for Navy men to have note books from different ships?"

"What?"

Harry gestured at the note book, it had the USS _Kitty Hawk _(CV-63) emblazoned on it.

"Interesting, Gibbs'll know…"

"I'll know what DiNozzo?"

Tony held up the book.

"Seaman Byrne and Petty Officer Irvine spent 2 months on board the Kitty Hawk during a joint mission."

"Find anything _interesting?_" Harry asked looking at them.

"Nothing odd if that's what you mean Lieutenant."

"Harry found some weird things…I mean look at this…dunno if it's drugs or a chew toy…" Tony held up the evidence bag of gillyweed.

"Harry?" Todd said curiously in Tony's direction, Harry still looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing…"

The journey back to NCIS was no better than the journey there, in fact with Tony DiNozzo at the wheel it was positively worse, if Gibbs had been trying to kill them, DiNozzo was on a kamikaze mission.

Not that Agent Gibbs noticed, he was on his phone seemingly arranging passage for them to the _Kitty Hawk_.

Harry turned as Todd's phone went off.

"Hello. Hi Abby…yeah Gibbs is on his phone…we're on our way back now…really…ok I'll tell him."

"Was that Abby?" Gibbs called from the front of the car.

"Yeah…she's said that 'hinky' doesn't even cover what she's seen so far. That weird is taking on a whole new meaning."

"So you're the mystery guy that Ducky was talking about."

Harry inclined his head to…Abby, no one had told him anything more than that of her name.

"So you're from UNIT right…so you know about all the alien invasions and whatever…were you there when the aliens landed in Trafalgar Square…or when…"

"Hang on that what?" Kate said holding up her hand.

"I second that…"

"It was a mass hysteria brought on by economic crisis…that's what all the papers say...but according to what I've read there's no footage…supposedly the engines wiped everything and all the photographic evidence was collected by a clandestine organization." Abby said looking in Harry's direction.

"And when did this happen Abby? If I might ask."

"1997, May." She said with a grin, Harry turned to the other two agents, Gibbs was…somewhere else.

"Well do you two remember anything from that time?"

"What about you UNIT man?"

"I was in school at the time…secluded and out of the way…so I can't say I saw anything. How about you Tony…Agent Todd?"

Both turned to him and stared for a moment.

"No…I was on a survival and counter-infiltration course during May…surely you Tony would remember, TV and everything…"

Tony shook his head slowly…

"Holiday…well sort of…"

"How sort of."

"I got to spend a lot of time in the desert…tracking some drug importers through Utah…"

"Abby what've ya got?"

"I ID'd the mystery guy and woman from Ducky's prints…" She went over to the keyboard typing in something; on the large plasma screen on the wall two photos popped up of the corpses in the morgue.

"They guy is Roberto Trojillo. Wanted by the FBI, CIA and the NSA, he's an arms dealer, small arms manufacturer for 'subversive groups' and wanted alive…"

"Not dead…why not his sheet's long enough to be wanted dead." Tony said looking at the screen.

"What about the woman Abbs?"

"Aleksandrina Fahey, Chechnyan born, American resident. She's not wanted…so much so that there isn't a warrant for her arrest, but she's being 'watched'." Abby made air quotes at this. "By the NGA, and her funds are being watched by the CIA, and the FBI are interested in her movements. She's been linked to various companies which have questionable dealings…"

"And we've got her in our morgue….she's kind of a hottie." Tony said grimly and then smiled.

"What's the NGA?" Harry asked.

"The National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency."

"Oh the spies in the sky…yes…" Harry trailed off. Gibbs looked at him.

"Warned about them?"

"Made aware of agencies like that, the UN doesn't appreciated being spied on."

Kate and Tony exchanged a look as Harry and Gibbs stared at each other.

"So what was so hinky Abby?"

"The blood work for Agent Cornell is all over the place, he's got so much adrenalin through his system I would swear he'd been injected with it, but it's all natural, Ducky sent me some brain tissue and it's mad…I mean mad weird…like…electrolytes must have been firing off every which way…" Then there's the unidentifiable's…" She typed something into her computer. "I'm running it through the laser spectrograph and the bio-analyser are still running it, I'm even running the DNA on it…but this is where it's weird…it shares some of the properties of sodium pentothal."

"The truth drug?"

"There's no such thing as a truth drug Tony…"

"But, generally sodium pentothal is used like one." Harry added.

"Exactly…but it has none of the markers that sodium pentothal leaves behind in the drug, plus according to my tests it's like 1,000 times stronger."

"Wouldn't that have killed him."

"Uh Kate we're talking about a dead body here." Tony pointed out.

"I mean was it the pentothal that killed him of an overdose?"

"No."

"No?"

"The levels of this…whatever it was…probably wasn't enough to kill…despite the strength of it…plus the absorption rate is unbelievable…there were traces in the mouth and stomach…but the rate that it absorbs…this stuff is swollen and within seconds…BAM it takes effect."

"What about the crispy guy?" Harry broke in.

"Ducky's not finished yet."

"Come on." Gibbs called as he walked out of the lab.

Harry leaned back in the chair in Abby's lab as he talked on the phone, Tony and Agent Todd had been…doing something that Gibbs had ordered them to do, some research thing…while Gibbs was in MTAC talking to the captain of the Kitty Hawk arranging passage.

He'd stuck his head out into their office earlier, they were trying to work out who organised the auction and what Fahey and Trojillo's reasons for being there were.

"Right…thanks anyway…"

"What's up?" Tony asked as he walked into the lab.

"As it looks like I'm staying for a while I'm trying to get a room for the night…"

"So what's the problem?"

"There's the annual Furry and Plushie convention and expo in town…every where's booked out."

"The…" Tony smirked and then smiled.

"You got gas Tony?" Gibbs asked as he walked in.

"No…nothing…"

"Potter…we're heading to the _Kitty Hawk _tomorrow…you're not coming."

"Oh…? Why?"

"No room on the transport…" Gibbs said with no apparent malice.

"What time are you going to arrive there…I'm quite interested in who set the sailors onto the auction…especially if they're using any of the kit on board a US ship."

"Heading out on the 4 am flight…it'll take….2 hours…plus another 2…"

"So 8am…I'll be here…waiting…" Tony nodded and watched Gibbs walk out… "Or maybe I'll find my own way there…" Harry muttered to himself.

"What was that about Harry?" Abby walked in carry another tray of samples.

Harry shrugged, he'd talked to Abby over the last couple of hours about nothing in particular, and she'd stopped calling him 'UNIT man'…after the first hour…and when he'd insinuated something hinky about the 1999/2000 New Years celebration in San Francisco, she'd warmed significantly to him.

"Can't get a hotel room anywhere there a Furry and Plushie convention on…"

"Plushies…" Tony smiled.

"Furies are people too Tony…I had this boyfriend once who just liked to dress up as a fox and sit at my feet purring all night…I've got a room and a bed you can stay at Harry."

"You don't mind?" Harry said after a second of realisation, he was momentarily thrown by the abrupt change of conversation topic.

"Yeah…once I've finished here, everything can run until morning."

"Fantastic! Thanks Abby."

--//

_I've just begun to realise how much more tricky writing an investigation based story is than my past efforts (of drama/adventure/sci-fi)._

_But I shall continue on, I've worked out my direction more or less so everything should unfold smoothly._

_I forgot to mention in my last notes; this is set NCIS Season 1 and before Ari (as evidenced by the appearance of Gerald)._

_Thanks for reading, I try and reply to all reviews (and answer any questions)._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 03 – Miss Kitty, the Devilcat**

"Step into my parlour…" Abby said as she unlocked her apartment.

"Said the spider to the fly…" Harry said with an amused quirk of the eyebrow.

Abby's apartment wasn't much from the outside, a converted factory something which was ever so stylish in Manchester where times hardly changed, here…it seemed to have not taken off so much.

"Whoa…" Harry said as he walked in, it was certainly something, the large room that Abby had lead him into was finished in deep dark reds, blacks and an odd shade of dark purple.

"Here you go UNIT man."

"I thought we got over you calling me that Abby, or should that be NCIS lady…we could be a…" Harry trailed off as he looked into Abby's spare room. "Is that a coffin?"

"Yep." She said with a manic grin which half reminded him of Luna…if she had the enthusiasm that Ron had the last time he was playing for the Chudley Cannons…after he had been promoted up to lead chaser after that unfortunate incident when their lead chaser had impaled himself on the opposing team's seeker's broom…the broom cleaning kit would be out all night after that one.

"Right…I spent a good 7 years avoiding this?"

"A coffin, because you know they don't drop out of the sky…sky burials are usually something like throwing ashes…though I did read about this woman who wanted her ashes put in fireworks for Independence Day…"

Harry smiled.

"No…just trying to stop avoid the part that leads up to this…"

"Life? Cause unless you can stop time everyone will end…"

"If only I had someone like you around to argue Voldemort wouldn't have even bothered…"

"Voldemort?" She looked at him, studying his face in those few moments where his expression deepened in thought and memory.

"Another time…I've got a sleeping bag and foam mattressy thing in my car…I don't mind…"

"Come on Harry…it's not bad…it's not used…except by one of my ex's when he dropped by drunk and forgot we broke up…"

"Let me guess he woke up and it was dark and he couldn't move?" Harry said as they walked out of the room. She grinned again.

"Exactly…but I only bound and blindfolded him…I don't want to ruin the finish with nails…"

"Oh no of course not." Harry said shaking his head.

"And here's the…"

"Amazing…I love it…it's so…." Harry looked around Abby's bathroom…it was amazing…and white…which was a big shock…though considering it was hidden behind huge floor to ceiling doors which looked like they'd been ripped straight out of a castle…or a prison it was amazing, plus it was big…a large shower head to size of a car tire in the middle of the circular room.

Abby stared at Harry Potter a guy she'd known for…well a day make _a lot _of appreciative noises about her bathroom.

"It is pretty cool."

"I love it. So…Dinner?"

Abby stared at him.

"Dinner?" She repeated.

"Mmmm…for letting me stay…you pick a place, I pay, we had delightful evening conversation…umm that sort of thing."

"Ok…"

Harry sat looking around the restaurant that he found himself in, it was black, with black curtains and black tables…and then there was the silence…it was just a little bit eerie.

"So what's with this place?"

"How so?" Abby said studying the menu.

"Well apart from the fact that you're reading the menu too quickly to actually read it…"

"What?"

"Body language books a while back…then a seminar course not so long ago. What's with the silence?"

Abby became almost animated as she started a description.

"There are large sound baffles and an intuitive intelligent sound cancellation system in place that analyses all sound in here and dampens and cancels it out…see there." She pointed upwards to the dome above them. "That cancels the cancellation so we can talk."

"It's a little eerie…I feel like anyone could just creep up on us and…"

"You have an odd paranoid obsession with people killing you Harry Potter."

"That's just me and my odd life."

"Do you mind if I have a shower before I join you for a evening drink Abby?"

"All that time on a ship filled with sweaty sailors?" She asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't have minded the sweaty sailors part, however I spent most of the day with Tony or in the back of the car with Kate and Tony of Agent Gibbs at the wheel…plus I would really like to stretch out before tomorrow."

"Another day in the lab with me?"'

"I might find a way to join Gibbs…" Harry muttered.

Harry shut the door of the bathroom slowly stripping off, and then relaxed allowing his wings to slip out and hung from his back and sighed as he looked around the room for the water controls.

Even when he'd been in Las Vegas he hadn't been able to get a room with a large bathroom, definitely not as large as this…and the pools were always too busy to enjoy himself in…especially with a pair of large black wings…Las Vegas might be the home of some pretty wild things but some how he didn't think he could quite fit in…although Lady Heather had been interested…in his wings, her pool was only filled with a man licking the boots of a busty lady…not really his cup of tea…though it was lovely tea she had there…

Turning the taps the room water started to fall, the steam for the most part seemed to be drawn away but some unheard fans.

Harry stood under the hot water and sighed letting the hard and soft droplets of water fall over his skin and wings refreshing and relaxing him.

After the day's events it was a welcome, then tomorrow he was going to need to get to the Kitty Hawk…he wanted to be relaxed and be nice and cleaned off before he started out…

Harry failed to notice the door of the bathroom open.

"..I'm not looking, I'm not looking, just want to get my lip balm….I'm not…whoa!..." Harry had his back to Abby so didn't turn around.

"You looked didn't you?" Harry said as he ducked his head out of the water stream.

"Yeah…"

"Are you ok?" Harry asked and tried to remember if he had any lethe's bramble in his car, he was pretty sure he didn't.

"I think so…"

"How about I explai…"

"Now?" Abby asked uncertainly.

"Only if you want me to do it while I'm naked."

"So you're not…you know like an angel?" She asked, Harry could almost see the quirk of the eyebrow, despite facing away from her.

"No…all my boy parts are there…how about I join you outside in your parlour in a moment."

"You're a bit more than a fly Harry."

"And you're more than a spider, Miss Abby." Harry leaning back into the water and grabbing the shampoo as he did so.

Harry turned the water off drying his lower torso and pulling on a loose pair of pants and grabbed a towel, he wanted to let his wings and not get any of Abby's furniture wet, though he didn't pull anything over his torso.

Abby was waiting outside the bathroom, two steaming mugs of cocoa waiting on a side table, she was sitting in one of the three black sofas.

"Ok…I suppose you have questions."

"Are you an alien?" She asked, Harry smiled.

"Nope…human…more or less." Harry raised an eyebrow as she stood.

"Can i…?

"Yeah…I like to let em air dry it that's ok…It's what I do when I'm at home."

She unsurely raised a hand and patted, or almost stroked his wings.

"So…." She sat down, Harry laid the towel out and sat down opposite her taking the mug of cocoa.

"You can say 'You have wings!' or something like that, that was my friends' reactions."

"Stating the obvious you mean?"

"Something like that."

"Are you some sort of experiment?"

"No…What do you know about magic…?"

Abby leant back into her chair and blew the steam off of her mug, the mug that had been cold a few moments ago until Harry Potter had…conjured a floating fireball and held it under her mug….it was a fireball, reacted like a fireball should…not that she'd ever seen a perfectly formed fireball.

"Ok and now for the big finale…which might break your mind…so…"

"So?"

"Should I do it?"

"Break my mind?"

"You know how I said some people have animal aspects?"

"Yeah…" In that moment she said 'yeah' Harry leapt out of his seat and….morphed into a bird…a blacker than night bird that flew around the room before gliding back down to sit next to her.

She lifted up the bird, staring into its eyes…somewhere in those eyes she could see Harry Potter.

She put him back down, and before her eyes he returned to human form, minus the wings.

"Where are the wings?"

Harry waggled his eyebrows and the wings…morphed out of his body jostling her on the couch.

"Whoa this is so…hinky…no it's more it's…" Abby sat staring wide eyed at him for a few minutes.

"Finished being astounded?" Harry asked slightly amused.

"I never I said I was astounded." She muttered defiantly.

"The fish impression then was just to display your prowess at charades then?" Abby punched him on the arm.

"So can anyone do this?"

"Magic?" She nodded.

Harry shrugged to himself.

"That's it?" She looked at him.

"It's a complicated question." Harry paused considering his answer more thoroughly. "Many people can learn some sort of magic, it just depends on the what you can do and what you want to do in theory…the higher up the complicated ladder you get the more predisposed to it you have to be." Harry said after some thought.

Harry looked down at the sleeping Abby before bending down and picking her up, she'd fallen asleep shortly after he'd offered her a glass of firewhiskey, Harry took her to the only room she hadn't shown him, which was obviously her bedroom…that or she was keeping a vampire in the house considering the distinct lack of widows or bright lighting in the room, there was however a bed.

Abby woke feeling…well a bit of a headache and the distinct impression the world had turned around and slapped her ideas about it around a bit the previous night.

Then she realised with a jolt that she was in her bed, when her last semi-coherent memory was of sitting next to a man with wings on her couch…

Also…she thought she could smell pancakes.

Walking out of her room she realised she hadn't dreamt up the previous night, there was a man with large dark wings standing in her kitchen making…what appeared to be blueberry and raspberry pancakes.

Abby sat opposite Harry Potter, UNIT man, feeling slightly more awake following a shower and a fresh change of clothing.

"Thanks for last night."

Harry raised an eyebrow amused at her.

"You mean thank you for _not _undressing you like those creepy movies…or like the nurse at my school…" Harry said staring off into the middle distance to himself muttering "I really hope that was magic…" before shuddering slightly.

"Right…so UNIT man what are we doing today while Gibbs, Kate and Tony are off doing the investigating of the day?"

"You can investigate magic on your own Abigail, as I said last night…you need to come to it on your own."

"I must have missed that part while there was steam coming out of my ears." She replied sarcastically.

"It indicates a very good vintage." Harry responded.

"So…I get my very own winged lab assistant today to help with all the weird stuff from yesterday."

"Um…no actually I'd like to go in early…"

"Early, with no Gibbs around?"

"Unless you can tell me where…more or less where anyways _were the Kitty Hawk_ is."

"Right…good…Thank you Abby." Harry said looking at the large plasma screen in Abby's lab.

"How many security cameras are in here…actually never mind…has this building got a roof?"

"A roof?" Abby asked staring at him.

Five minutes later they were standing in the stairwell leading to the roof, the door to which was locked.

Harry slid his wand carefully into his hand and muttered 'Alohomora', he didn't particularly want to have to explain the concept of wands to Abby, she was curious enough about magic as a concept…

Harry looked around the roof, there wasn't any real reason why he wanted to come to the roof, apart from the security camera…and the extensive use of glass as a building material in Abby's lab that is.

He patted down his pockets making doubly sure he'd placed the various magic activators and spell compounds into his pockets, plus the large packet of coffee that Abby had revealed that the captain of the Kitty Hawk enjoyed…some how she'd found that out.

"You do know how far the _Kitty Hawk _is from us don't you Harry…even the fastest flyer you couldn't…what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Harry said from where he was standing, on the edge of the building looking around.

"Like you're standing on the top of this building…like you could fall, which wouldn't be good."

"Probably not." Harry said before jumping off the building.

Abby raced forward only to see large bird large than an eagle, crow and before flying up high into the sky.

What Abby hadn't been able to see at that point was the bird disappear into a mist removing itself from the general area…

Then reappearing close to where the _USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) _was sailing, though several kilometres above it.

Harry continued to beat his wings fighting against the various crosswinds and looked around again for the _Kitty Hawk._

'Where is it?...' He thought to himself, it wasn't as though it could disappear…well not that quickly.

Several minutes later Harry dropped even lower…only to be sideswiped by a Super Hornet…if he'd been in human form Harry Potter would have sworn in a combination of Ancient Greek, Welsh and Irish…which he probably would then blame on hanging around Hermione and the other linguists at Night Wolf too much.

But as he was currently a large avian he just squawked quite loudly…the Super Hornet's engines were louder forcing Harry to disappear…and reappear several meters away.

Several minutes more Harry located the USS _Kitty Hawk_ and glided down and landed on one of the radio masts, before gliding further down and reappearing on deck in a swirl of mist as a human before opening a hatch and walking into the bowels of the ship.

Harry dug in his pocket pulling a handful of what would seem to anyone else to be dust and scattered it around himself as he walked toward his destination; the captain's office.

Harry hoped as he walked that they (in the military style) repeated what was useful and reused the same internal layout as the layout he'd looked up the previous night after Abby had fallen asleep.

The dust did its job, it wasn't so much as an invisibility dust, but it would keep anyone who saw him from thinking anything of him, when any of the crew looked in his direction, they simply thought he wasn't worth the trouble or there were more important things to see after rather than him.

Harry did bother knocking on the door, while the idea of bursting into the captain's office did occur to him, it probably wouldn't be good to be shot…or thrown in the brig…not that either would worry him that much, the brig…wasn't anything and as far as being shot he could practically 'mist' and avoid any bullets…within reason.

Still it wasn't something he wanted to practise.

"Come."

Harry smiled to himself and walked in.

"Who in hell are you?" The captain said as he walked in. Harry smiled and held up his hands in the universal gesture of 'I'm not going to shoot you'…or was it 'I come in peace'? Harry thought for a moment to himself.

'Probably neither' he decided.

"I'm just reaching into my pocket…I'm from UNIT."

The captain re-took his seat.

"How did…" He looked Harry up and down before nodding to him, Harry took a seat. "What does the UNIT want, you've got no jurisdiction on board _my_ ship."

"Just here to help out Captain Harrison." Harry replied and removed the bag of Hawaiian Blue from his jacket.

Captain Benjamin Harrison raised an eyebrow and picked up the phone on his desk and muttered a few words into it.

"…None…no Grant…nothing, just curious. Check all cameras for the last half hour."

"How did you get on my ship…"

"Harry Potter." Harry said omitting his rank for now.

"How did you get on my ship…and what do you want, I know UNIT is not in the practise of dropping….very good coffee to its American…associates."

"In reverse order, I'm here to assist NCIS with their organization…there wasn't any room on the transport."

"So you made your own way…enterprising of you, doesn't answer my first though."

"I flew." Harry said with a shrug.

"You flew." The captain repeated.

Harry merely nodded.

Half an hour later Harry was standing out on the deck waiting for the transport to arrive.

Harry looked up in the sky and saw it make its final approach, it wasn't a job he'd like to do…not that he hadn't done it, he'd spent time in a Thylacine and done the training 'how to make a powered approach to a UNIT vessel in motion' it wasn't exactly easy flying through space into an airlock whilst the other craft was in motion also.

Although admittedly if he stuffed it up there were teleports and transmats in standby to get you out of it, if the pilot missed the wire or misjudged the approach and couldn't apply enough power to follow through they'd be in the drink.

Harry watched as the plane practically slammed into the deck the wire grabbing it and bringing it to a sudden halt, watching this Harry was glad he'd made his own way to the _Kitty Hawk_.

As the personnel unloaded themselves from the plane Harry smiled to himself as Agent Gibbs, Todd and DiNozzo clamoured out and were led over to his position.

"Agent Gibbs…I believe you know Mr Potter…"

"How the…"

"Did you get here…?" Kate Todd finished Tony's question.

"Why the same way you did, just with more style." Harry said with a grin.

_--//_

_That seemed the ideal place to chuck in a chapter break._

_Sorry not much really happening in this chapter, big lead up, not much occurring._

_For those of you not up on US Navy vessels the __Kitty Hawk__ is a real ship (the first and last of the Kitty Hawk class of super carrier._

_The captain however isn't the captain of the 'real world' __Kitty Hawk__ though Benjamin Harrison is someone significant to America it also recalls something I did back in chapter 20 of Night Wolf Beginnings, it isn't going to be an ongoing thing, just for a bit of amusement for myself._

_Thanks for reading, more investigating next chapter._

_I endeavour to answer any questions posed in reviews._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 04**

Harry Potter had been held at gun, wand and various other points many times, so Agent Gibbs's method of greeting wasn't out of the ordinary…that said he had been held at weapon point by better people in the past.

Agent Gibbs smelt…bad, that was probably owed to the fact he and the other two had spent most of their journey to the _Kitty Hawk_ on military aircraft.

He smelt of sweat which was bad and of coffee, which was odd considering most military aircraft did not come with coffee (or tea for that matter) making facilities.

Harry allowed himself to be…he wouldn't say dragged, mainly because he was pushed, and because he could have got out of Agent Gibbs' hold rather easily and disarmed he in less time than it would have taken Agent DiNozzo to comment on a nudist's bikini line.

Harry walked into the meeting room that Agent Gibbs pushed him toward and moved himself around to lean against the wall, forcing the three NCIS agents to sit at the table or stand opposite him, Kate and Tony chose the former while Gibbs chose the latter.

He also levelled the gun at Harry's chest.

"Not the greeting I hoped for, but one which is familiar too me, it's like meeting a friend you haven't seen in….a short while."

"You're held at gun point a lot, who does the UN annoy on a regular basis?" Tony asked earning a glare from Gibbs, he muttered a "Sorry boss." Before leaning into the chair.

"So…how was your journey?" Harry asked after pondering whether disarming Agent Gibbs would get distract him enough to get on with the investigation.

"Storm, cross winds and Kate brought a cup this time."

"A cup?"

"Tony!"

"No bathroom on the C130." Tony mock-whispered. Gibbs continued to stare at him.

"If you're trying to hypnotise me Agent Gibbs don't bother all members of UNIT have anti-hypnosis training…and if you're trying to intimidate me your BO and that air of day old coffee is doing the job much better than your stare or the weapon…" Then Harry craned his head to the right before whispering at the same level ie more than loud as Tony had "Which you might want to take the safety off if you're going to threaten me."

There was a soft click. Harry smiled.

"See doesn't that seem more imposing?" Harry asked to the other NCIS agents who stared at him.

"Kate get onto Abby confirm his whereabouts last night."

There was a short pause while Harry wondered when the Captain or the XO was going to make an appearance while Kate powered up her laptop and hooked up a modem link.

"_Hey Kate, Tony…Hi Gibbs!" _Called a voice from the latop and an image of Abby in her lab appeared.

"Abby when did you last see Mr Potter?"

There was silence as Harry turned and shrugged at the laptop.

"Is he holding a gun at you Harry?"

"Yes…but he's not very imposing…try chuckling…or talking about world domination…on second thoughts that's a little camp."

"This morning Gibbs…he stayed the night at my place."

Gibbs turned away from the laptop.

"Thanks Abby we'll contact again…" Kate looked at Gibbs for a second "When he's decided whether to shoot Lt Potter or not."

"Well as Agent Todd says."

"Shoot you?" Kate asked.

"Or not." Harry said moving swiftly forward and ejecting the magazine as the captain walked in the door.

"Captain Harrison."

"Lieutenant Potter." He said with no preamble.

Kate and Tony exchanged a look as Harry joined them at the table placing the magazine down on the table and taking a seat next to Kate.

"You know him?" Tony asked looking at Harry.

"First thing I did when I arrived went to meet the captain." Harry replied.

"And what did _Lieutenant _Potter say Captain?" Gibbs asked, he remained standing as did the Captain.

"Not a lot in the typical UNIT fashion, however it was in the interests of National security that I didn't throw him off the ship." Harry smiled to himself he was glad he threw in the term 'national security'.

"That and I said I would jump off the bow…but that wouldn't get rid of me."

"We're here to investigate the activities of two seamen who spent some time aboard your ship captain." Kate passed a page with photos of the two seamen to the captain after a moment and a half of silence following Harry's calm comment.

Harry walked down the corridor of the ship following Agent Todd who was following the XO…someone might argue that he was also being followed by Agent Gibbs.

They were being led to the quarters of Master Chief Petty Officer Francis LeRoche, the man that the two seamen had worked under while aboard the Kitty Hawk for those two months.

"So you think the Master Chief was involved in this…?"

"We're following up all leads Capt Grant." Todd said simply to that Executive Officer Ulysses Grant as he tried to engage her in conversation as they walked through the various bulkheads.

When they reached the Master Chief's quarters the three agents walked in past the XO, Gibbs giving Harry an…annoyed or possibly 'come in if you're going to' look…Harry gathered from the silence…and the attempt to shoot him that he was a little pissed off.

"Get in here." Called a voice, Harry shrugged and smiled to the XO before walking into the quarters of Master Chief Petty Officer LeRoche.

Tony was already interviewing the Chief Petty officer so Harry paid him no heed and instead began to move around the small area looking for anything…odd.

"…and what duties did you cover with Seaman Byrne and Petty Officer Irvine?"

"Just basic operating structures sir…it was part of a joint training operation across the fleet in preparation for various missions…we had a lot of people from other ships cycling through…sir…who is he…?" Harry turned around as he was flipping through the log books on the desk.

"He is…" DiNozzo trailed off looking to Gibbs.

"I'm assisting NCIS with their investigation…Master Chief, that's all you need to know, unless there's something _classified _in your log books?" Harry asked as he turned to look at LeRoche.

"…No…No sir…nothing…just I was curious…"

Harry nodded to Tony and turned away from the NCIS agents as he continued go through the various books littered on the bookshelves.

Removing the diary it was open on today's date 2nd of February 2003, and flipped back two months to the arrival of the two seamen, it was written their, along with a bunch of other activities overseen by the Master Chief on a ship this size.

Turning the pages slowly he tuned out the interview which was going on behind him as the NCIS agents did their thing, flipping slowly through the diary Harry noted a small square barely a millimetre square that was coloured in, it stopped a month into the sailor's time on the _Kitty Hawk _and started…some time before judging by how unstable the diary was becoming as he flipped back through it as he was holding it one hand.

Flipping back through the diary, Gibbs turned to look at him, neatly obscuring the Chief's line of sight to him and stared at him, Harry raised an eyebrow looking down at the diary for a second. Gibbs turned back to the Chief.

Flipping back to today's date he turned the pages back slowly, there were more dots not as frequent but they were there, continued following the two month stint.

Placing it to the side Harry walked over to the cupboard and opened it up running his fingers along the edges looking for trips or sensors…just in case.

"Master Chief I'll give you chance…" Harry asked as he turned from the cupboard as DiNozzo had finished asking his questions.

"Sir?"

"Are you working alone or are you in league with someone?"

The Master Chief sprang out of his chair for the door faster than anyone could react, Harry was out next despite being between Kate and Gibbs to get their.

Tony blinked he could have sworn Harry had been on the other side of the room…and then he was in the corridor.

Harry turned a corner as the Master Chief pulled open a bulk head and started up a ladder.

"He's heading for the hanger!" He called out as he disappeared in a cloud of mist…

He reappeared on the very windy hanger as the lift was in operation in the shadow of a plane and blinked against the wind looking for the hatch that the Petty Officer was climbing up and rushed toward it as he pulled himself out of it.

It did occur to Harry as he ran to wonder exactly where the Master Chief was going to go having got to the hanger, the US Navy wasn't in the habit of cross-training its officers…well not to _this _extent.

"Peek-a-boo." Harry said as he pressed a Glock to the man's jugular.

"How…what…you wouldn't?"

"Shoot? Probably not in the jugular…blood's so hard to get out." Harry said lightly as the man tried to move Harry leaned against him pressing him with his shoulder onto the wall.

Agent Gibbs ran up a moment later. He just stared at Harry. Agent DiNozzo and Todd arrived a few moments later, panting.

"How…how did you…get here…so fast…" Tony panted.

"Style, flair…a dash of suave and generally being fantastic…" Harry said vaguely, Agent Todd just stared at him.

"How did you make it up here after he locked down the bulkheads?" Todd clarified.

Harry shrugged at her. "I found a faster route."

"Like you did to arrive here before us." Gibbs said as he removed a pair of cuffs from his pocket, it might have been a question though it seemed more like a statement of realisation.

Harry watched Gibbs lead the Master Chief away, Tony was still panting.

"We'll meet you back…where ever to continue the interview." Harry called after him, he just waved a free hand.

Harry replaced his weapon back in its holster where it was hidden by his jacket.

"How did you get up here…we followed Gibbs and he must have taken the quickest route…" Kate Todd asked him as they began to walk to follow Gibbs.

"Well Agent Todd if you look at it logically and within your own frame of reference."

"What does that mean?" Tony said, having finally found his voice and breath.

"It means what it means Tony." Kate said staring at Tony obviously wanting an answer from Harry.

"Logically I must have either followed LeRoche."

"Which was impossible…he locked the bulkheads, Tony tired them." Kate stated

"So I must have taken the route you chose."

"We never saw you."

"I must have been fast." Harry countered.

"Are you always going to be like this?" Todd asked.

"Truth needs to be worked up to Agent Todd, otherwise you would go around all day with your mouth open gaping like a fish, plus you'd accumulate a lot of flies and other flotsam." Harry said as he walked away sniffing the air as he did trying to see if he could follow Gibbs on the scent of coffee and wood shavings alone.

Harry leaned back against the wall in the pilot briefing room that had been taken by Agent Gibbs to conduct the interview, one of the ship's lawyers sitting next to LeRoche, who was currently staring at Harry.

"Sir I want to protest the presence of that man again…despite the assurances from the captain he has no legality in a Navy matter."

"That's as maybe, however the Master Chief may be involved in things which may be part of an international purview, and I'm that."

"International?" the lawyer snorted.

"From the United Nations."

"They have no power in the individual command decisions involved on this ship, or anything that my client may or may not have been involved in."

"Let me make this clear then." Harry said pushed himself off the wall. "Your client may be involved in…the dealing of artefacts which are comparable to weapons, artefacts which aside from their potential danger to this ship could spell a massive effect on your whole navy." Harry said facing the lawyer and the Master Chief just as Todd and Tony walked in through the door.

They had a box each of items each.

"Master Chief, before you…left the room Lt Potter asked you a question, are you working alone or are you working with other personnel aboard this ship or in the United States Navy?"

"Yes sir…" He answered automatically.

Gibbs sighed almost inaudibly.

"Are you working with someone?"

"On what specifically would my client be working on Agent Gibbs?" Gibbs turned and looked at Harry and Agents Todd and DiNozzo.

"There are notes in your diary, almost a code Master Chief…on a variety of days, you do know the punishment for treason in the United States Navy?"

The lawyer stared hard at Agent Todd but said nothing, Harry noted the beads of sweat that were beginning to appear on the Master Chief's forehead.

"I…I…" He said before swallowing uncomfortably. "Major Matthews…he was the one who…"

Gibbs looked over to DiNozzo who muttered a 'right boss' before leaving the room.

It took another 2 hours to coax the information out of LeRoche.

Harry remained silent throughout most of it, just watching as Gibbs and Todd present their information and interview the Master Chief, he did get a feeling that Agent Gibbs would have wanted to take it slightly further had the lawyer not been sitting a table's width away from him.

Harry considered the information that he'd learned and the notes he'd written down on his pad throughout the interview, his handheld computer was poking out of a pocket recording the proceedings as well, just in case for the UN and Night Wolf when he would need to make a full report.

The Master Chief had got into a 'partnership' with Major Daniel Matthews a SEAL who had been storing 'spoils of war' on board the ship in an empty section below the emergency water recycling tanks.

The spoils of war turned out to be whatever had been stolen or forwarded to the Gulf states during various times of peace and war…and the interim periods.

It wasn't _just _weapons tech, well not _regular _weapons tech in any case, not that they knew it, or the SEAL intrusion team leader knew that…

The technology was stored aboard the _Kitty Hawk _and then shipped out to be sold the Master Chief thinking it would be better to sell it '_In America…better to keep in the USA'. _

How the Master Chief knew who to take it too and where it was sold was a mystery…all he said was a 'junior grade' had told him about it…

Which to Harry sounded a lot like a plant…a good bit of plausible deniability for whichever shady part of the US intelligence community to gain access to the various bits of technology, without joining the UN and coming clean about their research projects, plus _not _being the _full controller _and most powerful _leader_ amongst the military powers…there were other reasons which Hermione seemed extremely interested about a while ago when he'd met her for a coffee and some cake.

When quizzed about Seaman Byrne and Petty Officer Irvine he'd said that Irvine hadn't known anything…but Byrne had overheard him and Matthews speaking and followed him and offered to by the items off of him, that's when he'd told Byrne about the auction…but he still sold something else to Byrne…

He closed up at that point after whispering something to his lawyer, who seemed shocked…if that could happen to a lawyer.

In return for this final piece of information…they would put in a good word for him…maybe.

Where Harry, Gibbs and Todd were heading and they were joined by DiNozzo who informed them that Matthews was 'under lock and key'.

They were heading to what LeRoche had got involved in himself, something he'd been supposedly selling to the a lot of the sailors…it was also where they had their 'reserve stock' of items.

Harry looked up at the sign. **Emergency Water Recycling Tank 3**.

"The store room should be just over there." Todd pointed.

"As long as it doesn't have a sign saying 'beware of the leopard'." Harry muttered. DiNozzo gave him a weird look.

"It's kinda dark in here boss."

"It's a water processing plant Tony." Kate replied.

"But it's a good point…maybe we should split up." Harry said with a chuckle, the three agents looked at him.

"Sorry, after 2 hours of interviewing some humour is necessary…either that or a nice whiskey…hey even an unfriendly drink would be good…oh fine…"

"So he didn't say anything about what was inside the tanks?"

"No Tony, he closed up then…his lawyer seemed to think it was best to stop speaking at that point."

"Lt Potter, Tony, go look in the tanks, hopefully Agent Potter will be able to recognise anything…hostile."

"Righty Agent Gibbs…just a side question these tanks aren't in daily operation?"

"No…They're used in the case of a catastrophic systems failure of the main and reserve water tanks."

"Right…"

"So what're you thinking? Drugs?"

"Something like that…or sea monsters." Harry replied as the climbed a set of steep stairs.

"Like the Loch Ness monster you mean?" Tony asked and then muttered to himself with a grin "…_Amazon Women on the Moon_…"

Harry chuckled.

"No I some how don't think the Loch Ness monster found its way here." Harry knew for a fact that it had been caught and dissected in the mid 1990s by UNIT at the request of the Scottish board of Lakes and Fisheries as a hazard to public safety…considering it was a genetically engineered reptilian that occasionally ate the odd tourist and fisherman.

The top of the gang way that surrounded the tank was just as dark as the ground, perhaps darker. Tony handed Harry a torch.

"Let's find the inspection hatch…and we are so not splitting up, I'm not going to be red shirted." DiNozzo said before taking the lead.

"It's always the guy taking the lead who gets picked off first." Harry called as he turned on his torch.

The hatch was padlocked with a big sturdy and practically screamed 'I'm not meant to be here and nor am I military spec'.

"Well that shouldn't be there." DiNozzo said.

"What gave it away? The large padlock or the points where there extra plates have been welded?" Harry said gesturing with the torch.

"We'll have to get a key."

"Or we could just use dynamite and blow it open…" Harry mused smiling at DiNozzo's surprised expression.

"How about I try picking the lock before you break out the high explosives Harry?"

"Sure ok."

"So is that how you guys at UNIT work, it it's stuck blow it up?"

"Not always." Harry leaned over watching Tony pull various faces as he mucked with his lock pick.

"What if I said I could open it in under 5 seconds…"

"Okay…" He stepped away holding out the pick set.

"But you need to turn your back."

"Is this a UNIT trick…are you hazing me?"

"Uh…no…there are plenty of sailors about to have my way with Tony you're not even on the list." Harry said as he pointed his wand at the lock muttering an 'Alohomora' and watched as the lock snapped open.

"There. Done." Harry said stepping away pocketing his wand in a swift motion and handing back Tony's lock pick set.

"How did you…?"

"Would you believe part of my schooling taught me how to do that?" Harry said as he reached over and began to un-wheel the large wheel that sealed the door.

The hatch opened and the looked in, the smell was the first thing that hit them, it was a dull wet mossy like smell, like a river or creek sort of smell or water and fresh organic plant life, there appeared to be several UV lamps which had been affixed to the ceiling of the tank.

"Well now we know where the power was re-routed to." Harry said looking around. The lamps while big and all weren't bright and it was still necessary to shine the torch around.

"So is this drugs?"

Harry looked around trying to get a good look at a plant, he was pretty sure he recognised it…but he'd never seen it farmed on such a level, it was growing everywhere, all throughout the tank and all through the water. There was a metal structure and low gangway which appeared to be there to churn the water…if it wasn't covered in it…

"Have you got some gloves and an evidence bag…I want to go in and grab a sample."

Tony stared at him but nodded.

Harry eased himself into the tank and ripped out some of the weed placing it in the bag and kept a slightly smaller amount in his hand, it suckled onto the glove like a mollusc.

Out of the tank he could see if more clearly, he hand handed the bag to Tony who wrote on it and signed it.

Harry squashed the plant in his hand.

"I can see why he's been selling it to a lot of sailors." He said to himself.

"What is it…hang on isn't that the same…"

"It is, the same stuff Seaman Byrne had…I've never seen it in such large quantities…or this…fresh I suppose is the best word before…"

"Again with the what is it…it's not a drug then…looks like something I barfed up after a night out with a vegan lady…"

"You find anything?!" Gibbs called from below them.

"Yeah, coming down…" Harry turned the glove inside out trapping the gillyweed inside and tied a knot in it and stuffed it in a pocket.

Harry raced down the stairs to the small store room where Kate and Gibbs were standing there were selection of items laid out on tables and a few standing up.

"What'd you find?" Gibbs asked as he walked in, he jabbed a hand back to Tony.

"Boss…" He pulled out the evidence back and gave it to Gibbs. "That stuff is all in the tank."

"What was he growing it for Lt Potter? The truth." Gibbs asked as he closed the door to the room.

Harry sighed.

"Is it a threat to the operation of this ship?" Gibbs prompted.

"No, probably not. Not in the conventional biological, radiological, atmospheric sense."

"Is it a drug?"

"Not really Agent Todd…but it really does depend on your definition…I said before Tony that I could see why sailors, more than anyone would be swayed by this." Harry pulled out his own glove filled sample.

"It's called gillyweed…it's a plant, it's native to this planet…In the broadest sense I suppose you could class it as a drug…it alters your body for an amount of time."

"You mean a psychological reaction?"

"No…I mean a biological one…" Harry faced Gibbs.

"The captain will need to clear it out, I wouldn't touch it with your bare hands just in case…it can be dumped in the sea without any environmental problems, the tanks just need to be flushed out with seawater and a bit of alcohol…I'll brief the captain and his XO before I leave…now…oh dear…"

Harry said turning away from them looking around.

He supposed he should be thankful…or hopeful that they kept all the really more dangerous items.

"Have you got any evidence cylinders…like you use for knives….you don't want to touch this one…try not to squeeze it…" Harry said as he gingerly picked up an Ice Warrior sonic blaster.

"Why?"

"Does nasty things to your insides." He said as he gently put it in the cylinder Kate offered him.

There was laid out on the table a Terileptil lance, a Cybergun from the 1970 invasion attempt, a set of silver knives with runes inlaid in them at a passing glance he wasn't quite sure what they said but considering they were sitting on a lump of way looked to be copper separating them from the steel workbench below it might pay to be careful.

They he saw something which tinged the heartstrings slightly, a pair of ornate mirrors, that reminded him very much of items he used to have.

He probably paused for too long before moving on.

The items standing up were a large crossbow leaning against a wall, it looked like it had some sort of power pack on it…and no place for the arrows.

Next to it was a large sword made of…some sort of chameleonic material and…

"Shit…" Harry said.

Next to the sword where two panels of dirty white with spherical bronze hemispheres on it.

Dalekanium…from the Shoreditch Incident…

"Well small mercies I suppose…do you think the captain will let me evac this stuff?" Harry asked looking around before walking out of the room.

"Gibbs you can't just let him have this stuff…" Her voice was drowned out as a Chinook helicopter with UNIT markings landed on the deck they were standing on.

Gibbs looked over to where the captain and Lt Potter were standing.

"Thank you for allowing this captain." Harry said to the captain over the wind.

"Did I have much choice _Lieutenant Potter_?" He asked borderline angry.

"Not really…but thank you nonetheless…" Harry said…He hadn't really blackmailed the captain and it would be shown in the log books that UNIT had assisted in the retrieval and safe removal from the ship, as it was in international waters and all.

A man ran over to them from the Chinook.

"Lt Potter…Captain Harrison."

"Major…" The captain said with a grunt.

"On behalf of the United Nations thanks the United States Navy for allowing us to deal with these items in such a timely and swift fashion."

On behalf of the USS Kitty Hawk we are _grateful_ to the UN's support in times such as this." The captain replied. It was standard piece of comment and reply used in these (supposedly rare but not so much that someone hadn't come up with what to say) situations.

The major touched his ear a moment later.

"Received, clear with _Kitty Hawk's _air control for take off." He turned back to Harry and the captain. "Captain Harrison. Lieutenant Potter."

"Major." Both Harry and the captain responded. A moment later the dual blades of the Chinook took to life and the large helicopter rose from the deck.

--//

_Well this chapter took me a while to complete (in fact I just finished it 10 minutes prior to posting it up)._

_As I decided to write this as a bit of a challenge…which has shown itself to me fully in that for this chapter I had a few scenes and a location…but nothing to really string it all together (in fact it wasn't until I began to write this one that the scenes fell into place)._

_Writing 'crime drama' is a bit different to my previous stories…so each chapter is a bit of an experiment._

_Last chapter I included a few 'Easter eggs' referencing other shows (which I hope some people got), but anyway…(here's a brief run down) at the start there was a mention of Manchester and how time hardly changed (a reference to TV series Life on Mars), then another more overt reference to CSI (Las Vegas) in the form of a named reference to Lady Heather, then Ancient Greek, Welsh and Irish were three languages Harry swears in (I forgot Latin in that list) but they're the languages that the Philosopher's Stone has been translated in as noted in the HBP and DH._

_There were another three odd references added in this chapter._

_I may think up a prize for anyone who gets it…_

_Thanks for reading, and I always/generally reply to most reviewers._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 05**

Harry stood out on the deck allowing the wind and sea spray to cover him as he walked off what was supposed to be an uncomfortable meal.

Though Harry had enjoyed himself talking to the XO and ignoring the death glares Gibbs and the Captain had sent him throughout the meal.

The NCIS agents were stuck on the _Kitty Hawk_ until their transport was repaired, it had developed…some sort of fault during pre-flight checks so they were stuck until some time the next day when it was scheduled to be repaired.

--//

Under a different sky, on a different planet Hermione Granger stumbled into the shower cubicle intent on washing the grime, dust and explosive residue from her body.

_Earlier that day had been their second day exploring the caves…_

Hermione made her way through the antechamber into the second area of the caves they were exploring.

She had to agree with Gilliam and Geoff on this one, the further the went into the caves the more…of a feeling she got, it wasn't a _wrong_ feeling but it was odd to say the least, there was a definite sense of this being the centre of…something.

It was most likely the central area which had been saturated with the temporal energy that had originally left the fall out that most of their group, bar them could cope with.

Passing another wall inset with hieroglyphs she removed a digital camera from the messenger bag on her shoulder and began taking photos as she moved around the chamber.

Hermione held the camera in her left hand and delved into her bag once more grabbing a few 30 cm long tubes which she pushed an inset button on the end causing them to glow blue, she threw them around her inside the chamber bathing it in a blue glow.

The sticks were like a glow stick, however they had been augmented and improved by the apothecary and sorcery departments at Night Wolf making them much more powerful, longer lasting and the tubes were reusable.

Hermione took the moment that now the room was bathed in light to look around and then re-check the pictures that she had just taken.

"Damn…" She muttered to herself as she looked at the photos, even with the industrial strength camera, with its…something…something…Hermione had had it explained though she was more concerned that it worked rather than how it worked, she was sure Harry would know _how _it worked as well as knowing that it did work.

Hermione knew that it survived the freezing cold the sort of warm days they experienced, it was shielded from the temporal fall out which occasionally effected the technology they were working with, and it was drop proof, dust proof, water proof and supposedly fire and various radiations proof, not that she'd had the chance to check it out.

However sometimes, it didn't take good photos, that factor was simply down to the badly eroded or destroyed nature of the things she was taking photos of.

She'd keep the photos and continue to take more, but it most likely wasn't going to help in reading and analysing the glyphs without some extra adjusting of the images.

Nor would it assist in reading the partially hidden glyphs that were usually (she, Gilliam and Geoff had found yesterday) in the boarders that lined the main glyphs.

Nodding to herself she turned the camera off and replaced it securely in her bad and removed a canister which looked vaguely like a small fire extinguisher, except that it was bright yellow with a blue stripe around it.

It contained another substance created at Night Wolf for the archaeologists; it was a canister of a mix of something like a silicon base which could be sprayed an removed easily without disturbing anything, Hermione thought it smelt vaguely of a potions lab that had fallen into a chemical factory but no where on it did it have those oh so friendly warnings 'not to be used in enclosed spaces', though Hermione had asked.

Supposedly it just _smelt _like that, it didn't mean there was anything toxic in it.

Hermione squeezed the trigger along the surface of the glyphs watching the blue-white foam bubble into the cracks and seams of the rock that made up the cave before she moved on along to the next wall first taking photos, making notes in a pad, rather than a computer while it set in place.

Returning a few minutes later she gently removed the rubbery latex like substance from the rock, she gently rubbed her hand over the indentations that the foam had revealed.

She'd need to get them back to their base camp before she could start to work out precisely what this section of glyphs meant precisely, but she recognised one of two symbols…

'…_Great battle…'_

'…_those who stood amongst the gods…'_

Not that that was precisely what was said, so far they hadn't uncovered a Rosetta stone that would reveal all, but a combination of the linguistic systems (the same that were accessible aboard the UNIT vessels) and the database that Gilliam had put together with the assistance of UNIT in the UK, Russia and Australia.

Running her hands along the rough stone Hermione whispered to herself.

"What war did you witness…?" Something so vast and over reaching that it could have destroyed this planet, laid waste to a civilisation and seemingly affected their culture so far to stretch elements of it back to this, while maintaining a complex dialog on that war…and then there was the extreme temporal fallout, that fact had led many of them to posit some theories on the war, and generally made Hermione wish for a sugar quill as she tried to think about the intricacies of such a war.

In the corner of the room that she was currently in Hermione had found a narrow passageway leading to…somewhere else, from where she was and shining the torch into the room it looked like some sort of room with stone markers in-set into the walls.

"Hermione to Gilliam, I've found an extra room, can I investigate?" Hermione asked as she squeezed the radio button on her chest pocket.

"_Of course investigate, carefully Hermione, the sensors can be wrong…I'll join you in a moment I just want to spray some things to set._" Came Gilliam Brown's voice back over the radio.

A moment later Hermione made her way cautiously into the room, it looked like a cross between a library…and a grave yard, two things she wouldn't have considered being a cross between until now.

There were large tablets that were inset on the walls and further tablets sitting upright three high to the (low) ceiling, they were constructed of some sort of deep black material, but they had the same glyphs (that she could tell) as the other caves.

Carefully she removed her camera and began moving around taking photo of everything.

After a moment, walking down the second 'row' of tablets she just gazed around in wonder at the place she found herself in.

"Hermione?" Called Giliam.

"Down here, third row…Gilliam!" Hermione called as she walked around into the third row…and completely failed to see the device in the corner which switched from what could be considered a dormant mode to an 'active' mode.

"Wow…oh wow…Hermione have you seen all of this it's…"

"More than we've seen previously and in such good…" Hermione trailed off as her eyes settled on the rounded box sitting at the end of this row of tablets.

"You were saying?" Gilliam asked as she approached Hermione.

Hermione tried to say something for a second and totally failed to make any more sound than an 'urk' noise.

What had caused her to make that noise was not just the fact that it was a box at the end of a corridor on an alien planet, but that it had symbols on it, symbols that she _did_ recognise, symbols that she was very sure that Gilliam would recognise as well.

Instead she just pointed and then she remembered how to use her voice.

"I think I've just discovered something rather unsettling." Hermione said in a calm voice as though she was reading a book, a little too calm, as her brain worked at double speed to remember the classes that she had taken in various alien languages, she almost muttered several expletives when she realised which race these symbols and indeed this language belonged to.

"Oh…shit…" Was Gilliam's response. "It's recognised our presence…you recognise the symbols then?" She said querying Hermione with a look.

"Is this a test?" Hermione asked with a level of sarcasm she'd probably picked up from Harry…that or the variety of extreme life threatening situations that only a Hogwarts education brings.

"If you like."

"They're Dalek. We're standing in front of a Dalek device, given that the symbols are counting down in Rels I'm going out on a limb and suggest that it's a bomb rather than a welcoming device. Damn…"

"What?"

"I have been hanging out with Harry too much."

"The sarcasm?" Gilliam quirked a smile.

"So what do we do?"

"If it's Dalek it'll most likely speed up if we move."

"But it's counting down so if we don't move we're dead anyway."

"Yes…"

"I'm guessing using the radio is out?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

"Most definitely, it's a pretty advanced bomb, more so than the last one I saw."

"Which was that one on Earth or…"

"On Earth, remind me to tell you about my dalliance with the Daleks at some point."

"If we get out of this." Hermione leaned forwards. "Well according to that we're at 205 rels…that's umm…" Hermione paused for a second trying to remember the formula for working out Rels.

"A rel is close as makes no difference to a second…so three and a bit minutes." Gilliam answered.

Hermione made a non-committal noise as she looked around, specifically down further into the chamber they were in.

"I wonder what else is down here…especially if they planted a bomb here."

"It isn't necessarily the Daleks who planted the bomb." Gilliam pointed out.

Hermione nodded to that point, they knew more than anyone that the Daleks tended to leave technology around the universe, or more correctly parts were destroyed and adapted…as Night Wolf had done.

"Wouldn't they…" She looked around. "Have changed the language to their own."

"Might have been…how about we argue this when we're not standing in front of a bomb with…"

"120 rels." Hermione said.

"120…that's two minutes. How fast can you run?"

"In this gravity…faster than if you'd asked me that on Earth…though dangerous situations generally aren't something I'm a novice at." Hermione answered.

"Good, at 80 rels we're running for it and remember to grab Geoff on the way out he's in the central area."

"That's lucky."

"And Hermione don't try to grab any of your work on the way out."

"But…" Hermione said thinking back to her mouldings she'd left to pick up on the way out.

"No buts…if you've followed procedure you should have digital copies."

"Which according you aren't as good as…" She was cut off by Gilliam grabbing her and spinning her around and with a push she was running, vaguely aware of the Dalek device beeping announcing to them (very helpfully) that it had started counting faster.

Hermione got to the central area and looked around for Geoff…she saw Gilliam tear off away from her…she didn't know where.

"…Geoff?!" Hermione yelled out, despite her assertions that she could run she still was slightly out of breath given the distance from the chamber she had been in from the main.

Gilliam came running back just as Geoff walked out of an antechamber from the central cave.

"What?"

"Bomb." Both Hermione and Gilliam shouted, his eyes went wide as he started running with Hermione who was following Gilliam down the corridor.

Hermione was running faster than she had for a while and even despite the lower than Earth gravity it was still a long way to the cave's entrance…and the countdown she had going in her head was quickly approaching her self imposed redline when…

There was a thunderous series of explosions and a wave a superheated air blew from in front of her almost forcing her backwards off her feet, it almost threw Geoff to the ground, but Hermione reached out almost instinctively seeing him come off balance out of the corner of her eye. Pushing on she could feel the flames reaching out licking at her heels as she jumped out of the cave mouth, folding herself into a ball and bracing herself to roll with the eventual impact with the soft sand outside the cave.

As she opened her eyes she could smell burning…hair...and a general smouldering around her.

Pushing herself up she felt and looked around, she'd lost her bag most likely some time mid-air, and her hair was distinctly frazzled at the edges and there were a few marks on her clothes from spot flame damage, but she wasn't on fire…which was a definite plus.

She was found a moment later by Gilliam and Geoff who had hidden behind a large boulder, rather than jumping and rolling with it as Hermione had done, as a result they appeared to have several large burns from crouching behind the boulder as the superheated explosion had roared out of the cave.

Later after they had been checked over for a variety of things they were allowed out…to rest and clean up.

Hermione stumbled into the shower cubicle intent on washing the grime, dust and explosive residue from her body.

There was still a dull ringing in her ears from the explosion, but that would recede and go away, right now she wanted to wash the dirt and grime off her body and wash the burnt parts of her hair off and away.

It was a good thing she thought with a smile to herself that she'd maintained a short haircut, rather than a long one, it would just be a bit shorter now.

"Should you be up?"

"Should you?" Gilliam asked as she moved around the box.

"So we're unpacking DERE?" Hermione asked pronouncing it 'Dare'.

"That's what it says following situations such as this."

"Didn't you help write those?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I added some points…"

DERE was the **D**angerous **E**nvironment **R**obot **E**xploration, a robot with a large camera, a small package of sensors and various recording equipment, two arms and it could all be controlled remotely. It also had a variety of shielding and protection, to keep it safe while it was looking around.

"Can you…if you're feeling up to it…?"

"Nothing a good night's sleep can't cure…"

"I would but…" Gilliam held up her bandaged hands.

"Anything."

"Get DERE out of his packaging and actiate the charms and fields, pass me the integration stuff and I'll have it set up in the main tent." Hermione reached into the box within the main DERE box and pulled out DERE's control box which could be imputed into any computer or other system.

After she had unpacked DERE Hermione pulled out the activation box and instruction manual.

One the first page it held a warning.

_Warning to all wand users, do not use wands to activate this device, use crystals and activation cards for activation._

Hermione smiled at this statement, she'd red through the instruction manual for this the first time she'd been here, and now she would actually get to use it.

Looking at the first step she removed a solid piece of what appeared to be blue quartz and slotted it into a hole on the top of DERE and closed the lid of the hole, it beeped and the first stage light lit up.

The second stage was to activate its extra-sensory systems, these were sensors and interlinked sorcery sensors linked in some special way for better remote control.

Hermione removed a stubby piece of wood with a small mauve crystal on it and a rectangular card coated with an unidentifiable substance and pushed it into DERE followed by the stubby wood which she touched to the points specified by the manual.

The third direction was a simple keypad to activate the defensive systems to protect it from anything it might encounter.

Hermione looked at it with a nod to herself and closed the manual.

There wasn't much left in the caves that was for certain, the bomb…whatever it had contained must have superheated the cave network, practically melting all the glyphs away from the walls.

"Gather from around where the explosion originated and elsewhere to make sure it's not dangerous in there." Gilliam said to Samuel who had come back unscathed from his trip the previous day.

"Right…should I get samples from the outer walls?"

"Only if you can do so without damaging it…we might still be able to get something…but…" Gilliam started.

"Looks like we're relying on pictures." Hermione finished. She'd gone with a few other students after DERE had checked out the immediate area in front of the cave and found her camera and most of the rest of her stuff in her bag.

"Also check around for Geoff's camera…it might still have some useable stuff on it."

That night Hermione sat watching the stars, after spending most of the day inside looking through hers and Gilliam's photos of the caves and trying to work out what was so important that it needed blowing up, after a day in the tents in front of computers she just wanted to sit outside in the cool of the brief night cradling a hot chocolate and watch the stars.

_--//_

_This chapter can be considered a bit of an interlude chapter, but Hermione's part was always going to be in this story (just not necessarily part of the main story with Harry)._

_I was going to include another three references as I did the previous two chapters, but got too carried away in writing to pause and think about adding any references overtly or otherwise._

_But for those playing along (or want to know) the three references in the previous chapter were; when Harry says about a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the leopard', it's a references to Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. _

_Tony talks about not being 'red shirted', this is a Star Trek related term referring to the original series security (who wore red) the characters were ancillary character who died early in the show._

_The third reference was various references to 'The Hatch', (I went as far as directly referencing the means used to blow it open, dynamite), in TV show Lost. _

_Note; I won't be making any further references to Lost (it's bit unfathomable)._


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter – 06**

Harry followed Tony and Kate Todd out the hatch into the brisk mid-afternoon air and sea spray that greeted them as they left the confines of the interior of the navy super carrier.

"So Harry come on tell us now just _how _did you beat us here?" Tony asked as the leant against the wall shielding himself from the sea spray and wind, just not the noise of the aircraft which were going through manoeuvres a short distance away from them.

The transport was supposedly to be ready soon…that was all that Harry had been able to gather from eavesdropping on the captain and Gibbs, Agent Gibbs was…somewhere, probably getting a mug of his ever present cup of coffee.

Harry smiled at the two agents.

"How do you think I got here Agent Todd?" Harry asked in a break of silence that seemed to descend for a moment between landings and take off of flight operations.

She looked at him and then to Tony for a moment, he shrugged.

"You could have got a helicopter in, like that UNIT helicopter."

"It's called a Chinook Kate." Tony said.

"I know that Tony, I have ridden in one before."

"I was just trying to help."

Harry wondered whether he needed to separate him and had a weird flashback to Hogwarts fighting with Hermione and Ron about…well anything really.

"…you still listening?"

"Oh course Kate…you were postulating?" Harry asked quickly as another Super Hornet was readied for take off.

He smiled manically as there was the noise of the catapult in action before they were rewarded with some more minutes of relative silence (aside from the general hub bub of the navy carrier at work).

"Why not a helicopter like you UNIT one that carried away our evidence."

"It was UNIT property first…and relatively dangerous at that. But no, I didn't get a Helo here, they wouldn't give me a helo to use just to get to this ship…plus you get into all interesting jurisdictions if UNIT just decided to land personnel on _your _Navy ships."

"But _you _did." She countered.

"No…UNIT assisted the United States Navy with potentially dangerous and damaging items which they were storing on board one of the largest super carriers in the Navy." He replied.

"You still haven't answered how you got on board." Kate said after a moment.

"Let me guess you've got your own supersonic plane?" Tony said with a grin.

Harry nodded with Tony for a few seconds. "Right…so I've got my own supersonic plane…which I then land on a Navy ship…and they just decide to let me aboard rather than using me for target practise because…?"

"Because…"

"That would be illegal." Kate assisted Tony.

"Possibly, but no."

"No." They both said.

"No, I don't have a supersonic jet, but I'll put that down on my list of things I should investigate…maybe buy an old Concorde and retrofit it…they were a nice bird…expensive to fly and maintain but a brilliant piece of engineering…don't you think?" Harry asked them.

"Leaving aside how much it would cost to buy a defunct, outdated aircraft how did you arrive here Lieutenant Potter?" Todd asked him.

Harry shrugged and walked across from them over to where he could look over the edge of the ship to the water.

"How far would you say it was from the deck to the water?"

"30 feet from the main hanger deck, 65 feet from the catwalks and 70 the flight deck."

"I'm actually impressed Tony." Both Kate's eyebrow raised in surprise.

"I dated an engineering graduate…"

"So that would be like a…" Harry mirthlessly chuckled to himself.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Just about to make an inappropriate joke about a _Thunderjet_ landing on a _Nimitz _carrier…" Kate stared at him, Tony just blinked.

"Moving on. Why did we need to know more details of Tony's sordid sex life?" She said focusing on Harry, who'd moved over to the edge of the deck.

"You wanted to know how I got here so fast…now if I show you, please don't do anything as tiresome as calling 'Man overboard'."

"Why not?" Tony asked.

"It's a little camp." Harry said before jumping over the edge.

Harry allowed himself to fall most of the distance between the deck and the water before disappearing, transforming in the air and gliding up to a radio mast and watched the two agents rush forward and waited for his moment.

Tony and Kate rushed forward.

"He jumped…he actually…jumped."

"You think we should call man overboard?" Tony asked Kate looking at her and then to the water below.

"There isn't anything down there, we should at least been able to see something…it's…"

"Hey." Harry laughed at the height that they both jumped to.

"How…how, how…" Kate asked three times looking at him from head to toe.

"Neat trick…"

"I assure you it wasn't all done with mirrors."

"So you really did…"

"Jump?" Harry shrugged indifferently.

"You two ready?" Harry turned to see Gibbs standing there waiting for them.

"I noticed the roster, no room on the transport with your extra prisoners Agent Gibbs…no worry, I was just explaining to Agents Todd and DiNozzo here how I got here…I'll see you back at NCIS HQ then? Tony, Kate…Agent Gibbs…Adieu." Harry said with a wave before turning. "And don't call out anything…you'll just look silly." Harry called over his shoulder before jumping off the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk for the second time in 10 minutes.

All three rushed to the deck's edge this time, but saw nothing but the water and white wash.

--//

Harry reappeared just outside of the NCIS building jumping down from a convenient tree.

Harry walked calmly into the building, he didn't want to just mist in considering the all round paranoia level it probably wasn't the best idea.

He promptly bumped into someone by the lift.

"I'm sorry." Harry said bending down to pick up the solid looking brief case.

"No…my fault I'm sorry." She said grabbing for the case before Harry was able to touch it.

Harry reached over and pushed the up arrow.

"You going up or down?"

There was minute silence that unless anyone were listening probably wouldn't have heard it.

"Up yeah…so…do you work here?"

"No…I'm assisting here…you?"

"Just dropping some files off." Harry nodded as the doors opened and they got in.

They rode to her floor in mainly silence.

"Would you like to go for a coffee, so I can apologise for running into you?" Harry asked casually.

The short woman looked over to him…not so much surprised but intrigued then she smiled.

"I'd love that."

"Great." Harry said. "Have you got long in here?"

"No…I'll meet you down stairs in 10 minutes?" She again smiled.

"Sure…I didn't catch your name?"

"Maya…I'll see you downstairs Mr Potter." She said before turning around a corner.

Harry nodded to himself and turned looking at the lift before pushing open the emergency stairs, walking slowly down them as he made sure his weapons were loaded and within easy reach…obviously it was going to be one of those sorts of days…

Harry sat across from Maya Ibuki and pretended to sip his coffee...Ibuki wasn't her real name, not the least because it reminded him vaguely of a movie he'd seen with Hermione, but mainly because she was a spy.

Counter-surveillance was something he'd looked into during his year and half training, there were some Night Wolf operatives who worked outside of UNIT with MI6 instead, while the shared information with UNIT they weren't directly answerable to UNIT (and thus not exactly bound by the UN's governing rules)…It wasn't for now something that Harry had any interest in.

That said he still knew how to read a person's body language, intentions…listen to them...all that sort of stuff.

There was also the fact the this Maya Ibuki was trying to pump him for information…and totally not in the way he liked to be…

"So Mr Potter what brought you to Washington?"

"Orders, isn't that what brought you here?"

"What do you mean?" She asked oddly fingering her coffee cup.

"Ummm…well unless you were visiting a friend you were going to NCIS for…?"

"Yes…of course I was…"

Harry resisted the urge to sigh and instead pretended to drink more of his coffee, he wasn't drinking it mainly because it was bought by Ibuki…and he didn't currently trust her not to shoot him in the back, let alone not to poison him.

Not that she was doing a good job of 'slyly' trying to get information out of him, it was more like being questioned about his extra-curricular activities by Hermione back in the days of Hogwarts, except the woman before him was as jumpy as she was field inept.

An hour later Harry was a little bored.

"So…who do you work for?"

"…" She smiled at him.

"We could go through this song and dance for another hour but really if you're going to shoot me…"

"What?"

"There's a bulge in the outline of your jacket. If you're going to shoot me I'd like you to try so at least we can get to the interesting bit instead of being asked random questions about why I'm here and what I'm doing."

"Very well." Ibuki…or whatever her name was. Pulled a gun out and pointed…Harry looked at the gun and then to his torso.

"Ummm…right…" He said as the small café evacuated of people. The gun was being pointed at his shoulder.

"Your personality profile suggested that you'd respond well to a bumbling attempt at interviewing. Obviously they were mistaken."

"My profile?...I've been here…hang on what profile?"

"2 and a half years ago…You assisted an employee of the American government…" She sneered at him.

Harry nodded as he thought…and realised who she was talking about the American magic authorities…interesting.

"A plant?"

"Something like that…Now Mr Potter, you will reveal all information on NCIS's investigation…or I'll shoot out your shoulder."

"My shoulder?" Harry asked.

"So many bones…so man bullets, can't have you fighting back." She smiled and pulled the trigger.

The bullet ripped free of the chamber and ploughed into the wall behind Harry…who reappeared almost within a blink of the eye sitting on the counter watching her, he was pointing his Glock at her.

Then she proceed to shoot at him.

Harry pushed himself off the counter and began firing at her. Ibuki took cover behind a fashionably fake aged pirate's chest.

As silence reigned for a moment she jumped up from her hiding and ran forward firing.

Harry misted briefly allowing the bullets to pass through him and re-appeared beside her.

"You know in my training interrogating wasn't one of the covered topics, so I think I'll improvise." Harry said as he heard the approach of police sirens and grabbed the case and Ibuki's shoulder and disappeared.

They reappeared 4500 meters above the Washington Naval Yard.

Technically Harry didn't know anything about interrogation, interviewing yes…but after an hour and a bit of mind numbing (and supposedly tailored to him) interviewing he was a little annoyed…plus there was the shooting at him thing, not exactly endearing.

The first thing Ibuki (or whatever he name was) did was scream.

Harry moved himself closer to her so he could shout in her ear against the wind.

"We're just about at terminal velocity and you will hit the earth at about 195 kilometres an hour…and I don't conveniently have a parachute for you, so it's pizza time unless you answer my questions. Who you work for?"

"CIA!" She practically screamed.

"How did you get information on me?"

Harry nodded as she recounted…a little quickly for Harry's tastes…but then they were falling through the air…and her without any means of surviving a fall from this…quickly diminishing height. The information had come from 'Investigating' and employee from a 'paranormal speciality organization'.

"And now, Ms Ibuki, what was your mission and what did you steal from NCIS?"

Harry listened again as she spoke, it wasn't anything he hadn't expected, but it was still interesting to hear from the pink pillow's mouth…so to speak Harry thought with an amused smirk…

"So now...?" She scream at him as she chanced a look down to the ground below.

Harry smiled and with a wave of departure disappeared.

Ibuki screamed.

15.57 seconds later Harry reappeared beside her, and grabbed the case…and then disappeared once more.

40.1 seconds before impact Harry reappeared and grabbed Ibuki and they both disappeared…and reappeared outside the director Morrow's officer where Ikbuki fell to the ground clawing at it.

"Lieutenant Potter?"

"Director…lost some files recently?" He offered up a briefcase.

"Who is this Mr Potter?"

"Not sure really…she said she's CIA…but then she also tried to shoot me several times in the Caffy Hut down the road."

"That's one of Gibb's favourite coffee houses."

"It'll probably be shut for a few days."

"How do you know she's CIA?"

"She told me." Harry said simply.

The director stared at the young man before him and the woman on the floor, both had messy hair and the woman's eyes were dry and bloodshot.

"How?"

"I didn't shag her." Harry said after a moment.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask. But thank you nonetheless."

"Don't mention it…we took a break out in the fresh air and discussed things…did I mention she tried to shoot me?" Harry asked.

--//

_If this chapter seems a little odd…I'll blame it on watching a season 3 and a bit of Alias prior to writing this chapter…so the action is slightly influenced by that._

_If no one gets Harry's joke about Nimitz and Thunderjets…it doesn't matter._

_Next chapter will hopefully be more normal and back to the investigating._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 07**

Abby spun back anti-clockwise in her chair to turn and look at the mass spectrometer it still had quite a few minutes to go, which would most likely add to the strange and weird results that were piling up for Gibbs when he returned.

She'd tried to ask Harry, but after his…delivery of the woman at the Director's office…which was weird in its own right, he'd disappeared stating that "Easier to explain once than half a dozen times…"

"Where is he?"

"Gibbs!" Abby rushed towards Gibbs as he, Tony and Kate walked into her lab.

"Where is he Abby?" Gibbs asked again glaring around the lab.

"Where is Lieutenant Potter?" He growled out. Abby looked behind him to Kate and Tony.

They shrugged at her.

"He came in, checked where you were…and went out, said you'd appreciate it."

"Appreciate what Abby?"

"Coffee…" Said a voice behind them. They all turned around, Lt Harry Potter was standing behind them holding a tray of coffees and a paper bag. "Thought you'd appreciate a coffee and muffin…after your _long_ flight…you know how those can be." He said as he passed around the coffees and handed the bag to Kate before taking a seat next to where Abby usually sat.

"So…speaking of, how was your flight…I noticed some storms coming in." He smiled as he took a sip of…whatever was in his Styrofoam cup.

Kate just stared at the Lt for a moment before cautiously sipping her coffee.

"How did you know what I drank?"

"The same way an intelligence officer works out what you do in your life." Harry said looking up from the reports on Abby's desk.

"And that is?"

"I went through your rubbish and found what you previously ordered…"

"Ok…"

"They write short hand for it on the side of the cup." Harry said holding his it had a T written on it.

"T?" Tony asked.

"Yeah for Tea…I know it's not the most logical Tony…" Harry trailed off.

"So…I ran the samples of everything while you three…" Abby said after a moment's silence and then added. "Well four…were away."

"Yeah you still haven't explained _that_." Tony looked at Harry smiled innocently back at him, Tony held the gaze for a few moments before looking away staring instead intently down at the lid of his coffee cup.

"And what'd you find Abby?"

"The weird plant…thing that was in the bio-hazard container is 5 different kinds of weird, DNA strains that would be at home in a reptile…but and here's the hinky party…according to the search I ran against the Embryophyte database it shares slightly more than a passing similarity with the droseraceae family."

"Abby?" Gibbs asked with a sigh.

Abby walked over and held up the bio-hazard container.

"This Gibbs could be the first evidence of an intelligent carnivorous plant."

Harry raised an eyebrow, Gibbs stared at him. Kate and Tony stared at the plant analysis on the screen.

"You don't seem surprised Lt Potter."

"No…I'm not, but then I'm sure you guessed something awry since I suggested the bio-hazard in the first place." Harry said in a calm voice.

The rest of the briefing that Abby gave went through various blood samples and other such thing for the next few minutes until she started to talk about something that had Harry….just the little bit worried…well several some things really, one quite minor worry and a larger worry.

"I was going through the items that were auctioned…and I think I need a new word to describe how weird, hinky and…I'm pretty sure it breaks one of the laws of physics." She held up one of the broken time turners, still encased in a plastic evidence bag.

"Tony show me your watch." Abby said holding out the time turner.

"Why?" He said taking it off looking at her.

"Demonstration." She beamed at him and put the watch against the bag. "Look." She nodded at the bag. The three NCIS agents leaned in and watched the minute hand slowly turn backwards around the clock face.

"It's a trick, it's got some magnets in it or something…" Kate said immediately.

"Nope…it's got metal in it, just some coppers and a steel cog, nothing magnetic."

"So it's a trick…a stage show trick like hitting it with a hammer." Kate countered.

"Is it Abby?" Gibbs asked looking at the bag, Abby grinned and went over to the computer.

"I set this up in the corner of the lab, ran a video camera at it." An image of a boiled egg appeared sitting on a small plastic table just above the time turner in it's evidence bag.

"Watch…I've sped up the footage…" Over the next couple of minutes, they watched, both the time-code and a clock in the corner which continued to count the minutes _forwards _as the egg slowly de-boiled and became runny collapsing all over the table then Abby walked in and jumped up and down excitedly.

"And there…that's when I worked it out." She paused for a second.

"Pause for dramatic intent." Harry mumbled.

"Time is running backwards over this…thing."

"That's impossible."

"Strap yourself in for breakfast at Millyways by the end of this Agent Todd." Harry said as he sipped his tea again.

"So why are we down here Abby?"

Here was under the NCIS facility.

"I didn't know you had a firing range inside your building."

"I did try to ask after you…drifted in with the screaming woman…"

"Screaming woman?" Tony asked out loud.

"Long story…"

"Condense it." Gibbs said as the continued along a grey corridor.

Harry nodded for a second.

"Umm...FBI spy stealing files from NCIS…shoot out in your favourite coffee place…uh…sorry about that they should be open within the week…followed by a quick conversation and then I returned her to NCIS…she might have been screaming a little…according to some people talking to me is like that."

"Where are those people now?" Kate asked casually.

"Dead…generally or in such a high level of prison facility they might as well be." Harry said thinking of UNIT's 'secret' prison facility for the various Death Eaters convicted by the special tribunal.

"I got set up the firing range down here for the weapons that were bagged at the scene." Abby waved her arms around, down each of the five lanes of the firing range were three things set up, a paper target, a box of ballistics gel and a pumpkin.

"Abby?" Gibbs asked slightly annoyed.

"Gibbs…Ducky completed the autopsies…there are several…'I don't know how they died' guys down in Ducky's refrigerator. These might help." She pulled a sheet off tray that had five different items on the table, then she stared at Harry.

"What?" Harry said as Gibbs looked at him also. "What?"

"Well Lt Potter you are here as part of UNIT…assist if you can…"

Harry walked over and looked down at the tray, it worried him how many weapons were or had been missing from UNIT's storage…

"This one isn't a weapon…well not technically." He held up a bulky 10 cm weapon like metallic thing. "You open it up and an ampule goes in the top, it's some form of medicine dispenser."

"And the long thing on the end?"

Harry looked at the end of the dispenser, the spike at the end was quite sharp…and thick.

"I'm not certain but most likely it's to go through some form of…protective suit in an emergency." He said quickly amending what he was _going_ to say which was 'survival shell'.

"And the rest?" Kate asked eyeing the array of weapons.

Harry looked over the rest, inwardly cringing at two of them, then there was the fact that if he did show them there wasn't any way of escaping an explanation.

"Which do you want a demonstration than and explanation or…no I think we'll go with that…seeing is believing…" Harry said picking up the first weapon, it had a long round barrel with clear red areas, with a chunky handle.

He recognised it because he'd been shown this particular style of weapon at Night Wolf, it had a really weird trigger that you had to grip and hold…it and most likely this one had come from the 1985 Cybermen incursion.

Harry walked calmly up to the the firing range lane.

"Anything particular you want me to aim at?" Harry asked the four people standing some distance behind him.

"Don't you want protection?"

Harry was tempted to say that if the weapon exploded there wasn't much protection against the energy inside it, not considering he was holding said weapon.

"For this one I think I'll be right…I'll aim…well try for the pumpkin."

"Try?" Abby and Kate asked as Harry gripped the trigger.

The weapon made a pulsing noise and a round light pulsed around the gun, then the pumpkin and the side of the box of ballistics gel exploded.

"Huh." Was Tony's response.

Harry walked back to the tray and pulled out the next weapon.

"This one I think I will need protection."

"There was one of those on the _Kitty Hawk_." Tony said pointing at the weapon Harry was holding.

"Yes…it's known as a Sonic gun…" Harry pulled the hearing protectors on, the last thing he wanted to do was blast his ear drums…then he made sure he was pointing it in the right direction.

The grip on the weapon felt unfamiliar, it was meant to be gripped by a large claw of an Ice Warrior and his quite human hands didn't quite have the dimensions to fire it correctly.

Harry gripped it with two hands and steadied himself, he hadn't actually fired one of these before…he knew what they were and what they looked like and incidentally the theory at least of besting one in a fight.

Like the previous weapon there was no 'beam' to see from the weapon to the target, but the effect was noticeable, even for the three NCIS people behind him the noise from firing echoed around like a clanging of steel against steel…then all three targets just seemed to ripple and bend at though seeing an image through a bent piece of plastic.

The pumpkin and ballistics gel crumpled inwards and the piece of paper just ripped and crumpled in the middle.

Harry walked back to the tray shaking his hand.

"You really need to grip that hard."

Harry looked down at the last two weapons and cringed.

"This one shouldn't exist….but I'll explain about it later…but anyway…"

Harry levelled the weapon which did look like a gun, with two wings along each side, it had been recovered from the wreckage of Auderly House, following its destruction by the Daleks.

The reason it shouldn't exist is according to the notes which unlike this weapon were at Night Wolf…it was from an 'aberrant timeline', a time line which didn't exist…and yet the weapon did.

That sort of thing gave him a headache.

Harry took aim and fired…there was a flash and the target paper disappeared, then there he fired twice more, carefully aiming at the pumpkin and gel…each disappeared.

"And now number five…a Tissue Compression weapon…the owner of which was known as Victor Magister…someone I'm sure you'll find in the terrorist database from…some time ago…"

It was one of the Master's weapons which had been found on his person when he'd been captured at Devil's End in the 1970s, and had subsequently been lost during one of UNIT's moves of storage during the late 1970s or 1980s.

Harry aimed at the pumpkin and squeezed what looked like the trigger and hoped he was pointing it in the correct direction.

It was quite amusing to see it shrink…then he remembered what happened to people who got shot with it.

He turned back to the NCIS agents and Abby and replaced the final weapon on the tray.

"I suppose you want and explanation now."

"That would be good, Lieutenant Potter." Gibbs said after a moment of staring at Harry.

Harry reached into his pocket and everyone tensed.

"A bit tense aren't we…it's only a jamming device." Harry removed a black box and slid a switch on the side, a dull green LED on the side lit up.

"What do we need a jamming device for?"

"You never know who's listening out for a conversation."

"So…what was all that?"

"Did any of those weapons conform to Doctor Mallard's results Abby?" Harry asked leaning against the wall leading onto the firing range.

"No…I…I'll have to check the results…but no…but what…?"

"Open minds…remember…." Harry said and walked over to the tray. "This is your bog standard energy weapon, hard to manufacture, difficult to fire…from a 1980s incursion in London…well probably…This is a sonic blaster…fires a wave of sonic energy designed to shatter the skeleton of whomever its fired at." Harry said casually as though he were talking about pie.

Kate and Tony shared a look.

"The last one…"

"A shrink ray!" Tony exclaimed. Harry smiled.

"If you like."

"You said it was related to a terrorist." Gibbs asked.

"He's…probably not around any more…last time he was any trouble…1999." Harry said after a moment's thought.

"What about this one…" Abby gestured.

"The one that you looked mighty uncomfortable about." Tony said looking at it. "Is it cursed?"

"Could say that…it's from…actually there isn't any simple way to say it…it shouldn't exist…it's an aberration…"

"These are all alien tech aren't they?" Gibbs said after looking down the firing range for a moment.

"Boss you can't think…" Tony started.

"Gibbs? Surely you're not."

"Yes." Harry said cutting off Tony and Kate's tirades.

"Yes?!" Kate, Tony and Abby said at once.

Tony and Kate sat at their desks, trying to continue their research into who set up the auction, who was getting the money and any links between the two positive IDs Trojillo and Fahey along with the third man who according to DNA was most likely a man, any credentials he might have had were still with Abby as she tried to separate the body 'meat' and fluid from the clothing and everything else.

They were also trying to absorb what they'd learnt an hour ago.

"Have you found anything?"

"Looked up that thing 1996 that Abby mentioned." Tony replied.

"And?"

"Nothing but a load of crackpot sites….you?"

"I mean anything linking Fahey and Trojillo?" Kate said with a sigh.

"No…but the company that leased the room is a fake…but I've tracked it back through a series of front companies to Expanse Industries they're…" Tony was cut off by the phone ringing.

"Right…ok…yes boss."

"What was that?"

"I and get Potter as well." Gibbs said as he walked through past their desks on the way to the elevator.

"What's up Gibbs?" Kate asked.

"LEOs found a body out in the woods…"

Everyone jumped forwards as Lt Potter had somehow managed to appear behind them in the small elevator.

"Sorry…you did tell me to accompany you." Harry said.

"How…how…how…" Tony tried three times.

"They found a body in the woods?"

"With a NCIS pass and details of the auction." Gibbs finished.

"Who's pass was it?" Kate asked pulling out her palm top.

"You'd think I'd say if I knew Kate." Gibbs said as the doors opened, seemingly slightly unnerved by Harry's appearance.

"I seem to unnerved him."

"Consider it an honour, it's a rare thing to unnerve Gibbs." Tony said dreamily.

"DiNozzo, Potter get in here!" Gibbs shouted from the truck.

--//

_More should be happening next chapter, but there needed to be the information/revelation some where around to prepare for the next chapter or two. _

_I saw chapter 5 as my half way point, so from here it's on there's only a few chapters to the end._


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 08**

Harry sat in the back of the NCIS van and wondered exactly when Agent Gibbs who was driving at the moment was going to change gear…then the truck lurched forward and seemed determined to throw him against the composite plastic wall that separated him and the truck's contents from the front of the truck. At that moment he was infinitely glad that he'd thought to use a self sticking charm to stick himself to the bucket seat he was sitting in for the journey.

Harry also thought about his revelation that he'd decided to make to the NCIS agents, it wasn't a descion he made lightly…but it was part of the deal he'd made with the director…

Harry had assured him that he wouldn't keep anything…too _dangerous _from his agents…and if Abby or someone else had started to muck around…or take them apart in the improper manner…well telling them would be the least of their worries.

He also technically hadn't done anything…Agent Gibbs had reached an outcome on his own…then there was the propensity for disbelief was far greater than the ability to believe in such an 'out there' idea as 'aliens'…much better to think of it as 'Next-gen' or experimental…or something like that…

The same way everyone in the world conveniently forgot that Britain got to Mars in the 1970s, or that the world was put to sleep in the early 1970s…and that during that time more than dozen ICBM and the experimental Inter-Spatial Ballistic Missiles were fired…

Or for that matter the multiple times _London_ was evacuated throughout the 1970s, be it for 'mysterious web like infestations', dinosaurs or the attempted invasion of _Britain_ in 1997, admittedly many of the events pertained to _Britain _rather than the perceived centre of Earth's affairs the United States…after all _they _were the ones with a 'BIG' space program…

Harry thought to himself as he thought back to the conversation he'd had with Hermione and another new Night Wolf person a while ago, it was hard to believe that so many people…practically everyone dismissed all the odd things down to totally mundane events.

Alien attacks become terrorist attacks for whichever group was in the forefront of the people's minds, things that couldn't be explained that way became biological attacks, or drugs in the water and air.

Space ships streaking across the horizon and sky became mundane lights, particles of dirt and dust which just happen to light up the sky…and of course there will be plenty of scientists to back up that thinking, there always was.

"_And anyone else who doesn't believe the status quo, who go ahead and publish newsletters, websites or books become the believers and the crackpots, who just reinforce the idea."_ Hermione had said in one of their little conversations, and she was right…unless provided with over whelming proof people weren't going to believe…though that disbelief might get you killed in the face of the whatever ever, knowing that it's more alien, more powerful and more outside your conventional thinking could save your life or lessen a whole world of hurt.

Harry gripped at the cabinets between which he was sitting as the truck took another turn onto what looked like a freeway, from what Gibbs had said they were heading out into the bush some what.

--//

Tony and Kate sat next to Gibbs as he drove the truck…they hadn't said much.

"…I said Kate, what's he doing?" Kate shook herself she had…well she'd been not really thinking, she turned around and opened the observation window between the front and the rear of the NCIS truck, Lt Harry Potter was sitting in the back, his eyes closed, thinking, or he could be sleeping…Kate scratched that idea, how could anyone sleep with Gibbs' driving, that said he had very good posture, and most have been bracing himself with his legs…because he hardly moved as the truck weaved in and out of the traffic.

"He's asleep, or thinking." She said as she closed the window and turned back.

"Gibbs." Both Kate and Tony said together, they paused and looked at each other, Kate shrugged.

"Gibbs, how did you know?"

"That all the weapons were alien? Because Tony it's UNIT."

"So…but…aliens…it's a bit…" Kate started, she almost heard Gibbs sigh.

"It's mad…and that the Aussies and the UN…"

"Why not Tony…we all have secrets..." Gibbs trailed off as he changed up a gear pushing the truck way past the speed limit and weaved them into the emergency lane and flicked on the emergency lights.

"Gibbs we can't use those." Kate exclaimed.

"Why not Kate, it's an emergency…isn't it boss?"

"Think Tony." Was all Gibbs said and then looked at them, they stared back blankly. "If Lt Potter went to the trouble of telling us all about those weapons…"

"He must be worried about what we're beginning to uncover…you think we'll have to face off against things like the ones he showed us?..." Kate said almost thinking out loud. "Shouldn't we get in…you know…" Kate didn't say it but Gibbs knew what she wasn't saying.

"The Feds? Potter warned the Director off that idea." Gibbs muttered in a tone that suggested he wasn't against the idea…but wasn't necessarily for it either.

"Why not it'd mean more support and…"

"And they'd want to take charge of the investigation…"

"And it wouldn't be Fornell…Lt Potter is annoyingly well informed…"

Kate looked to Tony.

"Yes that much." Gibbs muttered pushed the engine harder as they sped down the highway.

--//

Harry climbed out the back of the truck, he felt…weird, and it wasn't the ride there, which in of itself had been several varieties of bad, he was wishing, not for the first time that he'd driven himself…however it meant that Gibbs wanted him along with them…or quite possibly he didn't trust him to be out of their sight.

Most likely the latter, Agent Gibbs struck him as the quiet yet deadly sort of person.

Harry hung back as the Agents got the details from the police guy who had removed himself from his vehicle to greet them.

"So which way to this mysterious corpse?" Harry asked as they walked back toward the truck against which Harry was leaning trying to pin down the odd tingle…it was a feeling similar to when a storm began brewing; creating mass amounts of static in the air.

"Leo said couple of hundred feet along this valley." Tony pointed down a steep path, Harry allowed them to grab their gear, Gibbs threw a pelican case at him, which while he wasn't exactly standing waiting to catch a solid case, he still caught it relatively easily.

Following them down the steep path into the valley the feeling intensified, Harry patted his pockets to reassure himself…just in case something were to happen he'd filled his pockets with anything useful following his improtue discussion of alien weapons tech with them.

The valley they were walking in was almost like a wide empty river bed with steep banks on either side of them and rough grass like vegetation below foot.

Harry continued to have a weird feeling, on top of that was the down right bad feeling of being in a hard to defend location, in an unknown area…without any backup.

Then Tony said it, which pretty much jinxed them.

"Hey, do any of you feel like we're walking into a trap?"

"You feel it too?" Harry asked.

"What?" Tony turned to look at him.

"A slightly buzzing feeling, like static, it's like it's off the side of peripheral vision…but along with all the other senses…It's…it's something I can't quite put my finger on…" Harry tried sniffing the air, something he could do in a general sense with people more than large areas…but there wasn't anyting, just the grass which…which he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Harry looked down as he continued to walk, then leaned down as he continued to walk and stared at the grass…which wasn't.

"Oh…"

"What is it Potter?"

"Shit…the biggest kind. Elephant sized."

That was when several things happened, a energy beam and less than a second a noise ripped along the valley missing them, but Harry recognised the noise, and hopped that they (who ever decided to start taking pot shots at them) had just adapted another power converter, rather than having a full Dalek to shoot them, the latter was far more dangerous than the former.

But that would be after he worked out how to sort out their current problem, he ran past Tony and Kate and grabbed them into a tight circle around Gibbs.

"Start shooting!" Harry yelled as he patted down his pockets.

"Where?"

"What?"

"Why?" They each asked.

"We're standing in the middle of an intelligent mine field…probably something they're testing now start!"

Kate and Tony looked to Gibbs who nodded.

As they began shooting there were tiny explosions from the surface of the ground where the bullets hit.

"Keep moving, if we stay still it's going to adapt and work it all out." Harry said in a level tone as he shoved Kate and Tony to the side, as they moved away from the cases they'd dropped they exploded, showering them and the surrounding area with plastic and various other bits and pieces.

"We can't keep going Potter, the sides are too steep to scale!".

"I know I know…" Harry said as he grabbed at the pouch inside his jacket…then there was a click as someone ran out of bullets.

Harry walked quickly around them dropping the catalysing agent as he went and muttering inaudible things as he did.

Kate struggled to hear what Lt Potter was muttering, but whatever it was was reaching a crescendo as he moved back into the tight group they had formed.

There was a swirl of orange and blue and then an explosion that made her jump.

Tony looked down and around them, they were standing with their backs to each other, and right around them, was…a shield…like Star Trek, or something…glowing.

"Don't touch it…just don't touch it!" Harry shouted out.

"What is it?"

"Something that's stopping the explosions and the signals tied into the minefield from connecting…we're safe for the next…couple of minutes at least.

Harry said bending down and looked at the grass…he was slightly worried that he recognised it and couldn't remember when he'd learnt about it, he was quite sure that it was illegal and most likely vaguely based on alien tech, which had never been in UNIT's possession.

"What is it Lt?" Gibbs asked crouching down next to him. Harry scrapped away the dirt carefully with his knife, they were relatively safe in here…but there was still a possibility of it exploding again…and then there was that feeling…it felt like…an anti-apparition field…Harry realised to himself with widening eyes.

"Lt Potter?" Gibbs prompted again.

"Sorry just realised something…we're in the middle of a mine field…it's an intelligent one…there's probably a central base somewhere…it takes these signals…measures our weight and everything, explodes if we're on a patch for too long…"

"And what about this…shield?"

"It's keeping us alive Tony…for now that's all you need to know." Harry said as he tilted his head and attempted to mist away and disappear…with a jolt he realised he couldn't.

"Crap." He muttered…which confirmed what he'd been thinking…the whole area was blanketed with a very bad jamming field…some sort of approximation of a jamming device and an anti-apparition field…it was probably leaking jamming right across the biomorphic frequencies.

"Can't you…you know did what you did on the Kitty Hawk?" Kate asked curiously.

"No…"

"How long Lt, will your field last?"

"Another few minutes…I wouldn't try that Kate…there's a jamming field and not just for that." Harry nodded to her phone.

"Can we get around this field…you've got some gun?"

"Not enough Tony…and we've be blown to little bits before we got to the van…" Harry said trailing off and thinking about something.

While misting was out of the question…he might be able to transform…and fly out of the area…of course that still left the three agents there…which he couldn't do…

"I need to try something…don't step out of the…force field." Harry said using Tony's description.

"What…" Tony started to say as he stared at Harry. Harry smiled and…shifted…Tony felt as though his world went sideways, and Harry…blurred and became…a small black bird….and then turned back into him again…

"Woah…well that was like a cheap bottle of wine and a round of projectile vomiting." He said. They stared at him.

"What…what?"

"Oh that…you know…biological morphogenetic manipulation of the genome along a predetermined psycho-supernatural path…nothing complicated." Harry shrugged…that was him sorted…though getting the agents out…

"Not to ask a stupid question but can't we just run out of here?"

"No…the moment any of use set foot outside this…rapidly diminishing safe harbour it explodes it knows our weight."

"Damn…shouldn't have had those doughnut."

"Trying for stereotype of the year Tony?"

"Children…life or death situation?" Harry stared at them.

"Have you a solution?" Gibbs asked.

Harry nodded…he did, but it was risky…quite.

"How good is your self certainty and self control…I need to know…how sure are you of your self and your personality?"

They stared at him.

"I can…help you out…but it's going to be trickier for you than me…" Harry said diplomatically.

"Why…?"

"I'm going to turn you into rats…and then you're going to need to run for the truck…but…"

"Hang on." Kate put up her hand. "Rats?"

"Yeah…simple, light and relatively fast…the problem is…it's quite easy to loose one's head, metaphorically speaking…"

"Rather than literally."

"Well yeah…so…?"

"Any other options?" Kate asked, Tony was just grinning.

"Well you can get blown up…other than that, no…I don't…well I can't do any sort of transmigration with the jamming field operational."

"Trans-whatty?"

"Transference of substantial organic material without the use of complex technologies or equipment over a long distance…" Harry rattled off quickly and glanced at his watch and then down to the grown where the field was smoking at ground level, the elements he'd used as a spell catalyser would not lost forever, he doubted they'd last into the next five minutes.

"Well do it."

"Boss!" Tony grinned.

"Gibbs!" Kate exclaimed and stared at him.

"Kate, I don't care what you have to say about it, I'm not letting us die." Gibbs said looking down at Kate's fingers, and the chain around her neck she was fingering absently.

Harry raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Okay…ready?"

"No." Kate said. "Yes." Gibbs and Tony stated.

"Right…well aim for the truck…keep that in mind, make sure you hold that in your mind, the smell of the diesel, what it looks like, the feeling you have when you're near it, keep that focused in your mind, think of nothing else…"

"Will it hurt?"

"No…" Harry said and stared at them, and then dropped his voice and spoke calmly, holding his hands out to them and opened himself up, feeling the magic flowing through his body. "_Goddess Hecate work thy will and let the unclean things crawl!"_ Harry felt the brief touches of the Goddess and the channelling of energies than swirled around the three agents and they disappeared, clothing and all.

"Go, go now!" Harry shouted and changed into a small raven flapping his wings and flying up into the sky, looking around for those who fired at them, but could see no one, and as much as he wanted to go looking for them, if he went further the three agents could go anywhere.

Harry flapped his wings again, gaining altitude and then glided down towards the truck, there was a second van arriving, Ducky and his assistant Gerald extricated themselves from the van.

Harry tossed up changing back somewhere else but saw a rat running out of up the bank towards the truck.

Harry glided down in front of Ducky and changed back into his normal self.

"Oh my word….how did you…"

"Not now Ducky…" Harry scooped up the rat. "Hang onto this, carefully."

"What the devil is it…a rat?"

"Actually it's either Tony, Kate or Gibbs…I'll explain soon…" Then someone started shooting and energy weapon at them…

"It never rains…" Harry muttered to himself. "Hide behind the truck!" Harry shouted and looked around as Gerald and Ducky ran over to him and nearly stepped on another rat, Harry scooped it up and gave it to Gerald who stared at it.

"Now just one more…" Then there was a flash and the front of the truck melted.

"This reminds me of…" There was a squeak as a third rat came running, Harry grabbed it.

"Ok…put them all down on the ground…Duck!" Something came across at them and the truck flashed negative for a second.

"Just…there…" Harry pointed. "Stay!" He shouted at the rats.

"I hardly think…" Ducky trailed off as the three stood stock still.

"_Goddess Hecate…return thy foul creatures to their former selves…" _Harry muttered a thanks as his hands glowed and there was a swirl of energy.

"Ducky?" Kate said and looked as though she was ready to throw up.

"Kate, Gibbs…Tony…what is going on?"

"Hold hands and grab me…" Harry shouted as another lot of fire reigned down on them.

Harry grit his teeth, they were on the outskirts of the jamming field…or someone, whoever still had it focused on the mine field, either way, he'd have to push, not only to get all other away, but to get through the field…

No one questioned him and Harry looked around quickly and then they disappeared…

They reappeared half a meter above the ground outside a shack near Las Vegas.

They all hit the ground with a thump, except Harry who landed gracefully.

"Good to see that you got across the minefield unharmed." Harry smiled brightly.

"Jethro, Harry, what in the name of all that is sane is going on?"

"Nothing remotely sane Ducky…we were just turned into rats to navigate an intelligent mine field, shot at with space alien weapons…and we're if I'm not mistaken in Las Vegas." Tony said with a remarkable balance of calmness and mild surprise.

"Oh…" Was all Ducky could muster.

--//

_Everyone (well a few) people seemed to be quite concerned with this concept of 'disclosure' (which for me evokes Stargate SG1, they always seemed to call it 'Disclosure' with a capital D)._

_This is a world where Earth has had major alien contact on the ground a number of times (and I'm guessing not all of you are hardcore Doctor Who fans), many of these occasions I reference (and as this story takes place before the new series)._

_Roughly speaking throughout the 1970s Earth had 'substantial alien contact', 6 or 7 times (on screen), then there's another couple of times in the novels, then there's a few more during the 1980s and 1990s and most of these are in Britain. So the Earth (or the UK) has had its fair share of alien contact._

_There's also UNIT a "paramilitary intelligence group", so the UN acknowledges (not publicly) that things have occurred, but the US is in its own little world._

_The mine field scene I've had in my head for a while, and it was always going to be a key part of moving the story forward._


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders; only much of the convoluted plot, and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 09**

Harry swore silently to himself and looked around him.

"…reminds me of my time in college…"

"Really Ducky?" Tony asked shakily.

"Yes it was after a night of a particularly long pub crawl, we all retired to my housemate's rooms…and had a supper of mushrooms…" Ducky chuckled. "It got quite bad…although good when Josiah brought out the cactus wine his brother brought back from America…I do remember something like today's events…a man turned into a wolf and then back before changing my girlfriend's pot plant into a Christmas tree…or that could have been the psilocybin in the mushrooms talking…"

Harry shook his head and made a detour away from where Gibbs was slowly approaching him and thought 'what would the Brigadier do in this situation?'.

_Shoot first and ask questions later…_

Lethbridge Stewart had been speaking of the Bandril invasion of course…not of American government agents…but the intent still applied…maybe.

"Eh…screw it…" Harry muttered and removed his wand from his pocket and aimed at the group of people who were relatively close together.

"Multiplus Stupefy." Harry smiled faintly as multiple jets of light shot out of his wand, knocking; Gibbs, Ducky, Kate, Tony and Gerald unconscious.

Harry let out a breath of air and wandered into the shack he'd vacated a few days ago and punched the air.

The bottle of…very cheap American poly-blend whiskey was still on the table where he'd left it. He'd won it in a slot machine while waiting for the lift in Las Vegas, but it didn't look entirely pleasant.

He couldn't find any cups, but put his Hogwarts education to use and transfigured the lid of the whiskey bottle into a relatively un-fine goblet and poured himself a generous amount.

"Urgh…" It was almost rougher than urinating in 400km gale force winds in -20 degree days protected by nothing more than a 'survival enclosure'…but it helped take the grating edge which had been taken off him as he'd punched through the biomorphic jamming field taking the people with him…

--//

Abby bit her lip and looked out the windows of her lab as the sinister FBI agents strode out of the elevator…actually as she stared they were just agents.

Abby bit her lip again and leant over the teleconferencer and dialled the internal number for Tony's phone…it went straight to the message service, his password was simple…the eavesdropping ability was not…but she'd watched Gibbs do it.

"…irector here to continue Agent's Gibbs' investigation."

"Exactly what for?"

"Approximately 30 minutes ago he was KIA…"

Abby stared at the phone hitting it frantically and punched number one on speed dial.

--//

Harry paused as he filled a second goblet, the first…hadn't done anything, except make him despair at the state of American whiskey blenders….and wonder exactly how they fermented their whiskey…there was a phone ringing.

Harry looked over at Gibbs and walked over going through the pockets of the unconscious agent and hit the answer button.

"_Gibbs, oh my god, I thought, these agents…they said, but you're not…"_

"Abby it's Harry."

"_Harry? Why are you? Does that mean? Are you? Is Gibbs?"_

"Perhaps starting somewhere close to the start." Harry said calmly as he looked at the bottle of what he was beginning to think was low grade methylated spirits with a tea bag dragged through it.

"_There are agents…here, they look like FBI…or CIA…or something…they said…they said Gibbs is dead…where is he?"_

"I knocked him and the rest unconscious." Harry said simply.

"_What? Why did you do that?"_

"Needed to forestall any questioning…dead you say…?"

"Yes…Harry?"

"Mmmm…I think we need to start some questions rolling…is Ducky's lab empty?"

"_How should I know?"_

"There are surveillance cameras in the building, I assume you can check." Harry said calmly as he walked over to where Ducky and Gerald were laying unconscious.

"_Yes…I think."_

"Good…get a message to the Director…I'll be around in a moment…you wouldn't have any tracking devices handy would you?"

"_No…why Harry?"_

"I'll improvise…you can track Gibbs' phone right?"

"_If it's got a GPS in it yeah I can."_

"Good…gotta go, I'm going to…do something…"

"_Harry what…?"_

Harry closed the phone and switched it to silent and then grabbed Gerald and Ducky and the three of them disappeared in a swirl of black mist.

…and reappeared moments latter in a dark corner of Ducky's lab out the way of the camera.

Harry stumbled and felt as though he'd gone through a cheese grater inside a tumble dryer.

"Damn those bio…crap." Harry muttered to himself and left the two leaning sitting against a wall and took a deep breath, the trip through the biomorphic jammer that he'd been through had still left him feeling quite…odd.

"Stay…stay there…" Harry muttered to the unconscious pathologist and his assistant and stumble out the door, Harry paused by the lift and threw a locking charm at the door to the morgue and lab locking it from the outside only. It wouldn't be good to let the mysterious agents make off with the bodies _not _until he had chance to double and triple check there was nothing _dangerous_ within them, plus it wouldn't be good to leave Ducky and Gerald trapped in there with anything dangerous…just in case.

Harry walked out of the lift, having resisted, _just _from colouring the walls a particular shade of poly-malt whiskey and made a bee-line toward the director's officer.

He palmed his wand into his right sleeve and held Gibbs' phone in the other as he walked confidently.

"The director's in a meet…"

"He'll want to see me now…" Harry said as he pushed open the door, casting a sticking spell on the phone in his hand and smiled at the two agents as he brushed past them slipping the phone into the taller of the two's pocket, the Director watched him from his desk.

"Director…how does that saying go? 'The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.' Or was it…" Harry turned to the two humourless agents who had a hand in their jackets. "Killing two birds and an NCIS pathologist with one complicated intelligent stone…"

"Lt Potter, this is Agent Munro and Agent Harper, they were just informing me of…"

"Yes…" Harry said looking over at the two stoic agents. "Which agency?"

"I don't believe we _need_ to answer any questions posed by a foreign agent within _our_ country, this is an internal investigation _director_. No _foreign _power should be involved in such affairs." Agent Munro bit out in through a series of hard breaks.

"Agent Munro _I'm _asking, you were just about to explain when Lt Potter…" The director trailed off and looked at Harry. "Entered to inform me of his progress."

"We are representing our nation's intelligence and security interests director, anything further is beyond your…" Munro looked at Harry for a moment. "Or your clearance levels."

"Then why should we believe you, you could be anyone, a foreign power or an allied terrorist group. Sorry director."

"We are operating through the CIA special intelligence division." Agent Harper placed a card on the director's desk.

"Lt Potter, please wait outside."

Harry nodded slightly before walking out the door he took a seat across from the secretary.

About five minutes later a group of four NCIS agents who had visible weapons walked in through the office and…escorted the agents out.

"Potter." The director called from his still open door.

"Director." Harry walked in and closed the door behind him.

"You have 40 hours."

"I have 40 hours?" Harry repeated in the form of a question as he leant on the window sill and watched the two agents walk out across the road and a waiting sedan, there was also a black non-descript van behind the car.

"You have 40 hours until they come up with a plan to go over my head."

"I assume 'National Security' was thrown around quite a bit…" Harry said looking over at the black van. "Right, I guess I should get working…" Harry moved silently over to the director's desk and wrote on the back of…some report. _I'd check for bugs if I were you…_

"Afternoon director." Harry said as he left the office.

"You tracking Gibbs' phone Abby?" Harry asked as he walked into her lab.

"Harry?"

"Tracking GPS, Gibbs' phone?"

"I can just…where's Gibbs?"

Harry muttered something to himself and shook his head.

"Knew I was forgetting something…start the trace on the phone, I'll go and get them…" Harry levelled hi sleeve at the camera in the corner of the room and a spell shot out of his wand, blinding it.

Abby simply stared at him gaping like a fish.

"GPS Abby." Harry said as he disappeared…

Then reappeared a few moments later, three people slumped by his feet.

"Oh my god Gibbs!" Abby rushed forward.

"Abby…tracking?"

"It's going Harry…you're getting worse than Gibbs."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Have you got any brandy?"

"Brandy? Why?"

Harry shrugged. "Kate might go through a crisis of…" Harry waved his hand vaguely.

"What?"

"Faith…maybe…" Harry said as he tapped each of them on the back with his wand, without Abby seeing of course…the situation was complicated enough without her seeing his wand.

Someone groaned…two people, Kate and Tony, who were leaning against each other.

"Hair…fruity…" Tony muttered into Kate's hair.

"Ew…Tiny…why are you…how are we…"

"Potter." Gibbs pushed himself off the ground and came to face to face with Harry.

"Hey Agent Gibbs…you want to good news or the bad news."

"Whichever explains how we got here." Tony said as he rose from the ground.

"Complicated…"

"Make it simple."

"Hey Gibbs…" Abby jumped over and hugged Gibbs. "It's so good you're not dead…I mean…"

"What?"

"Some agents came and told the director you were dead…you're not, obviously." Abby said by way of an explanation.

"How far back do you remember?" Harry asked.

"Grass…and then…Las Vegas…." Tony looked around slightly dreamily.

"Right well I knocked you out…then transported you here…We've got 40 hours to work this case out, then the agents from the unnamed agency come back with the 'National Security' gig and remove your case and all and sundry from NCIS's purview." Harry recapped quickly.

Gibbs blinked twice.

"Well what are you waiting for, Tony get down to the holding stalls and get Major Matthews into a room, get anything more out of him."

"Me boss?"

"Yes you DiNozzo! Kate." Gibbs pulled Kate off the ground.

"Yes Gibbs?"

"Find out what that…mine field was, who owns it…who that LEO was and where the phone call came from."

"Right…yes…" Kate nodded still mildly dazed.

"Where's my phone?" Gibbs asked as he reached into his pocket.

"I stole it put it on silent and secreted inside one of the mysterious agents to find out where their base opps is."

"Good…keep doing that Abby."

"Where you going Gibbs?" Abby called as he walked out the door.

"Probably for coffee." Harry muttered to himself.

--//

_Now heading on the downwards slope towards the end…though at the moment I'm not definitely sure how many more chapters, most likely more than one chapter to the end, though no more than three or four._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders; only much of the convoluted plot, and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter – 10**

Harry stared watching Kate and Tony…work, that was about as far as he could fathom what they were doing, he probably work out in further detail what they were doing but…

Kate was borderline about to crack, that wasn't the technical term, but she was getting close to full blown breakdown. Harry hadn't seen it first hand, but had read about it in the UNIT training and prep manuals, as something to watch out for, both in yourself and others that you worked alongside with.

It could start as a range of numerous things, but much of it had to do with the extremes of what UNIT and especially Night Wolf dealt with on a daily basis, some people just weren't built to deal with the extremes that crossed paths with them.

Kate, Harry was beginning to see was.

In some circles he guessed they would call it a 'crisis of faith', or perhaps a failure to resolve the conflicts that had thus far been presented to her, with her beliefs and understanding of the world.

One occurrence you can rationalise it yourself, even twice…but as it continues to build up, it becomes like a pendulum beating against the irrational ideas until something cracks…

Harry watched as Kate grabbed at the chain around her neck, it was of Christ on the cross, from what Harry could tell from this distance.

He walked across the office space to behind Tony's desk, Tony didn't seem to even notice him, he was engrossed both by some government search on his computer and discussing something on the phone, Harry leant forward close to his ear and waited till he put the phone down.

"Tony." Harry said in a low voice, he still jumped.

"Har…Harry." He stuttered out. Harry briefly wondered if Tony was as affected as Kate by their experiences thus far.

"Tony…tell Gibbs I'm taking Kate out."

"What for?" Tony sounded quite defensive.

"Tell him…" Harry looked over at Kate who was knowing on a pencil with some veracity.

"Tell him that she's about to have a crisis of faith…which could domino into a breakdown, something which I think I need to handle." Harry said calmly into Tony's ear in a stage whisper, more than a touch or regret and concern betraying in his voice.

Tony just nodded.

"Kate." Harry said. Kate jumped, quite high, which considering she was half slumped staring into nothingness was quite a feat.

"Lt Potter? What can I help you with?" She asked sitting up straight, and stared at him a mask falling over her face so quickly she could have passed for a mime…or an Auton, which ever was less real.

"I think you should come with me…for a walk…"

"Wh…Why?" She asked as she grabbed at her chain again.

"I won't do anything, please…let me…talk with you away from the fluorescent lights and the computers." Harry said calmly looking her in the eyes.

Harry walked with Kate quietly and calmly as they walked along the Anacostia River.

"So what did you want to speak to me about Lt Potter?" Kate asked, addressing him in a stoic manner.

Harry stifled a sigh, he'd read the books and talked to people, but he didn't actually know how to do _this_. He wasn't religious, he didn't _know_ how to do this…and yet he felt responsible for…Kate's state.

"What you've been through…today…has shaken you…" Harry started Kate remained silent.

"I wanted to…talk to you about how you're feeling about it…" She continued to be silent.

"I think I should…help…before…"

"Before?" She said after a few minutes.

Harry wanted to say 'Before you crack up, before you decide to go and live in the mountains on moss and night crawlers, before you go mad, or just decide to go and grow organic vegetables for the local co-op.' But he didn't, that might be a little insensitive...

"Before you…go through any further crisis's." Harry despite himself sighed, silently to himself at what he'd said; that wasn't any better than what he'd thought in his head.

Kate laughed.

"Crises, you're being a bit melodramatic aren't you Lt Potter?"

"Perhaps. But I know the signs."

"How?" She bit out.

"Because UNIT deals with a lot of stuff that challenges everything people are brought up _not_ to believe, and believe it or not there's a manual."

"And what does it say about God?" She asked, challenging.

"Nothing." Harry said simply, it was the truth, UNIT, the UN and all its subsidiaries didn't tell anyone what to think in relation to their personal attitudes to god.

Harry himself didn't really believe in it/him/or whatever, the Dursleys weren't religious, except Dudley when it came to Easter or Christmas.

At Hogwarts there wasn't any religion, he vaguely recalled Hermione and an another girl from Ravenclaw having some big discussion into it.

Then there were the near death experiences he'd been through, that probably assisted in his non-belief…

"You turned into a raven…" Kate said after a moment of staring out at the river where they'd paused in their stroll.

"I cannot deny what you saw." Harry said leaning against the supporting wall next to the path. Kate turned around from the bank and stared at him once more.

"How?"

Harry was dreading that one word and wondered if he could go for the alternative path…but whacking someone over the head and hitting that careful balance between knocking out with slight memory loss, concussion and brain damage was hard…they…him and the NCIS agents also needed to resolve this situation soon…lest it be taken from them…plus if he knocked her out he'd have to explain it to Agent Gibbs…whom he hadn't seen since returning.

So Harry sighed, and conjured a fireball in his hand while he was shrouded from view in the shadows of the embankment.

Kate stared open mouthed at him.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in _your _philosophy." Harry said and hoped he was channelling Hermione enough to sound knowledgeable with his own brand of 'oddness' as some called it to be mysterious.

"Don't quote at me Lt Potter."

'_Just as long as you don't quote at me Agent…_' Harry thought to himself, Exodus 22:18 was something he didn't want to, didn't particularly care about at the moment…

"Do you trust me Kate?" Harry asked looking at her for a while.

"Maybe…no…I don't know. 'Let the unclean things crawl', that's what you called us." Harry blinked at her comment, Kate was back to playing with her chain and her hand was slipping to her where her weapon most likely was.

'_Screw it…_'

"What makes you fear me Kate?"

"What?!" She asked in a raised voice.

"Is it that I transmogrified you into a rat and back, saving your life in the process I might add."

"If you'd been honest with us…"

"I was, Gibbs told me to come along. If I hadn't been there you would have still walked out into the minefield and I would have ended up looking at your bodies, what would have been left of your bodies with Ducky, and trust me there wouldn't have been enough left to fill a baked bean tin."

"You're…odd Lt Potter." Kate said looking out at the river again.

"More people have said that too me than you'd care to know."

"I also think you're dangerous."

"I have lived a dangerous life." Harry countered.

"People have died around you."

"Yes." Harry said. "People have also lived because of me…but that still doesn't explain why you _fear_ me."

"You keep saying that." Harry nodded, not that she saw. "I want to keep my country safe."

"I'm here to help you with that."

"Prove that you're not something I should be protecting it from." Kate said and removed her weapon and pointed it at Harry.

'_Huh_.' Harry thought to himself as he looked at the weapon…this was probably one of those situations that UNIT personnel talk about, on the bright side there wasn't an alien invasion going on around them.

"Ok." Harry said and disappeared in a swirl of black accented mist, and reappeared beside her, disarming her and then together they disappeared.

Reappearing moments later outside a church in a small English town called Tellus.

"What the…what…where…."

"I don't think that's important…come on…" Harry took her firmly by the hand and walked her toward the church.

"What is this?"

"You wanted proof…that I haven't come to you to 'sing a raven's note'."

"Shakespeare again Lt Potter."

"Hey I could have gone with Poe…"

They stood at the door to the church. Kate Todd stared at Harry waiting.

Harry smiled and pushed the door of the old church open and walked inside.

"There, Agent Todd…" Harry said as he walked in and then walked back to her.

She just stared at him and then looked back toward the town.

Harry looked at his watch.

"Come on I think we should be returning…close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because a magician never reveals his secrets…" Harry said with a chuckled wrapped his hands over her eyes and they disappeared once more, they came back into being in a corner of the NCIS garage.

"Hey Abby." Harry said with a wave as Kate stumbled and looked around.

"…Harry." Abby said after a moment or two and raised an eyebrow.

"Here." Harry handed Kate her weapon back, she took it roughly and shoved it back in her holster.

"Umm Kate…" Harry said as she turned.

"What?" She said neutrally.

Harry held up the magazine.

"You'll need this, nothing worse than firing blanks."

"Tony's dates don't seem to mind." Abby said from where she was working.

Harry waited until Kate had disappeared into the lift before wandering over to where Abby was working.

"So where did you and Kate go and do?" She asked suggestively.

"Went out had a conversation by the river."

"What sort…why?"

"Why all the questions?"

"Gibbs came down here."

"Ahh…Kate just needed some…she needed…" Harry tried. "I answered some…she tried to shoot me, I explained my position."

Abby blinked.

"Right…"

"So what are you up to?"

"I was thinking about what happened to you at that mine field…whatever this is, you said it was a power converter for some sort of weapon."

"I said that?" Harry asked out loud.

"You implied it."

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"So there's got to be another one from what Tony and Gibbs said something shot at you…given the relative distance and length of the valley it had to have exponential power…"

"Ok…" Harry said slowly, he could handle it when he talked 'technobabble' and he could even cope with technobabble from the Night Wolf people, but this was something more, Abby was waving her hands around and seemingly trying to animate through hand gestures the complexities to a power converter used to adapt a crude energy weapon.

"So if I can work out how much power was flowing into this…"

"You might be able to pinpoint exactly where the people we're looking for are."

"Yeah." Abby said as Gibbs walked over and grabbed Harry and dragged him toward the lift.

--//

_This is a chapter that I intended to happen, though I wasn't quite sure if it was going to take a whole chapter (but it obviously did)._

_But it was something I wanted to address nonetheless, the subject of Kate's faith is mentioned a few times in NCIS, so I make no excuses about it here._

_Harry is for all intents and purposes an atheist._

_In my previous stories I have made a vague distinctions between faith and religion…actually by not getting into religion as a whole, Faith is touched on in a few circumstances in a very vague way._

_I almost wrote a 'demonstration of faith' scene here as seen in Sorcery, but within this context there wasn't a way (while talking about Kate's faith) about addressing it without addressing religion (and that's not something I want to get into)._

_I've also resorted to a few TV show conventions, the quotes etc to illustrate people's POVs. (_Exodus 22:18 _which is something I've also avoided when dealing with faith and religion and all is 'Thou shall not suffer a witch to live' just in case anyone was wondering)_

_This chapter ends leading right up into the final exposition and revelation scenes._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders; only much of the convoluted plot, and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 11**

Harry wondered to himself as he changed down a gear to swerve through the compacted traffic _how_ exactly he got into this mess.

He had expected a holiday, albeit one that he'd been forced/ordered to go on. He had some fun times, some interesting sights…and now here he was, assisting a trio of NCIS agents investigating a whole gamut of things.

Harry briefly wondered where he _could _be instead of where he was as he gently increased his speed once more.

He could have stayed as Dumbledore's lap dog…maybe ended up teaching at Hogwarts…

This little daydream made Harry snort to himself in a cynical expression of sarcasm which came from thinking to himself without any music playing for too long, he could just imagine _that_ sitting up next to all the teachers teaching Defence…Harry shook his head.

"No…somehow I can't imagine that particular scenario ever occurring." Harry muttered aloud to himself and then shook his head and flicked on the radio.

_**3 Hours earlier…**_

Gibbs continued to hold onto Harry as the lift rose and then slammed the emergency stop switch.

Harry looked down at the switch completely ignoring the grip Gibbs has on him, not many lifts had switches, and this one looked as though it'd been used a lot. The lift came to a sudden halt and Gibbs let go of him and leant into a corner of the lift.

"You know this isn't exactly the best way to capture me Agent Gibbs."

"What did you want with Kate?" Gibbs asked.

"What did Tony tell you?" Harry enquired curiously.

"Faith." Gibbs said as he stared at Harry.

"How are you coping Agent Gibbs, I admit possibly it wasn't something I should have put your agents through unprepared, but you'll acknowledge I did save your lives." Harry said, but Gibbs continued to stare at him. "It was about faith, had I allowed Kate to…'fall into the abyss' as it were."

"UNIT does that a lot."

"Falls into the abyss?"

"Looks into it Lt Potter." Gibbs said continuing his staring act.

"I prevented her from taking the steps down into the depths, Agent Gibbs."

"You know about Faith?"

"I understand the power it has…more than you I think." Harry said looking back Gibbs, this time looking into his eyes.

Gibbs just reached over and flicked the emergency stop off.

--//

"DiNozzo, you better have information for me, you two Kate." Gibbs said as he walked in with Harry trailing him.

Kate looked up as Gibbs placed a cup of coffee down in front of her, Tony looked up and grinned at Gibbs who just drank from his coffee mug as he walked past Tony's desk.

Harry chuckled slightly to himself as Tony's smile drooped momentarily and then wondered to himself exactly where Gibbs had procured the two mugs of coffee, they'd gone down different corridors and had been apart for no longer than 30 seconds on their way from the lift to the centralised office space that the trio of agents utilised.

A question for another day, Harry thought to himself as he leaned against the unoccupied desk which he hoped wasn't Gibbs…and then quickly moved as Gibbs shoved past him on his way back from somewhere.

"Orange juice?"

"All that was in the fridge."

"Full of vitamins." Harry commented as Tony opened the bottle.

"So?" Gibbs asked turning towards the plasma display.

"The valley where we were…attacked…was part of a narrow band of nature reserve, it was dammed about 10 years ago to create a small hydroelectric facility, the valley area was sold back to the government before being resold as part of a economic recapitalisation, the land and areas around it were passed to…" Kate trailed off.

"To Kate?"

"That's where it gets fishy boss…It doesn't say, all the records just say it was sold by whom and to who it doesn't say." Tony said and hit a button clicked the screen to a hand drawn picture.

"This guy, Kate drew him…"

"The officer on scene." Harry said looking at the expertly drawn face.

"Emmanuel Fisher, several misdemeanours, a go to guy for several high and low people…" Tony began before he was cut off by Kate.

"Except he's usually hired for 'wet work'."

"Wasn't that what we were Kate?" Gibbs asked an edge to his voice.

"Perhaps…maybe he was there just to watch, probably took off when I got the shield up."

"What?" Tony asked.

"Well there was an auction selling tech, maybe he was one of the buyers and we walked into another sale…"

"That they wanted to show off? That's a bit…" Kate trailed off.

"Just putting all ideas out there." Harry said.

"Yeah nasty, worrying, dangerous and potentially life threatening ideas…" Tony started but was cut off by Kate.

Harry listened as they continued to discuss…things, economic record and other data which they seemed to be using to build a greater picture, but it wasn't apparent for the moment where it was leading.

"Abby's got something." Harry looked up as Gibbs put down the phone, it had taken a good 40 minutes do be re-briefed on the who and what of the last couple of days not that there was anything actually interesting to be gained from going back over the information but it was still useful.

--//

Harry followed Kate and Tony into Abby's lab with Gibbs following him, Harry got the feeling Gibbs was watching him waiting for him to say something untoward.

"Tony, Kate, Gibbs…Harry!" Abby greeted them with a manic grin which appeared to stem from the large concoction on the table, Harry risked a smell of the straw and wished that he hadn't…he couldn't quite fathom what it smelt like, chemicals, some sort of faux flavour and most likely caffeine judging by the large 'Caff-pow!' writing on the side of the garish cup which was the size of a moderate sized mixing bowl.

"…Harry…?"

"Potter you listing?" Gibbs shouted.

Harry looked up.

"Of course I'm listening, anything important said yet?"

"Harry…" Abby looked at him. "Everything I say is important." Harry smiled as a response.

"So Abby what magic have you wrought for us?"

"Wrought?" Tony looked at him quizzically as he pealed a banana.

"He means what do you have Abby?" Gibbs asked hitting Tony on the back of the head as he was about to put the banana skin on the bench behind them.

"I think he means put it in the bin Tony."

"Thanks Kate." Tony threw a withering smile at Gibbs and Kate.

"I cross referenced the location where you and Ducky were attacked with our most recent satellite passes, and matched that with the data from the NEG."

"Umm." Harry put up his hand.

"Yes?" Abby turned around and looked at Harry who had his hand up. "Harry." She pointed to him as though she were a teacher.

"What's NEG?"

"National Electrical Grid." She stated.

"Wasn't it re-named the US National Electrical Resource Management and Deployment Services." Kate asked curiously.

"I can see why you'd say NEG rather than USNERMDS, NEG is much easier…go on." Harry said after a brief pause.

"Anyway, I got the NEG to send me data for your time on that minefield, here's the overlay."

On the screen before them displayed a sattilte image, that was then overlayed with a graphic based image of yellow lines pulsing towards various areas.

"At the time when you were there to the time when your cell phones locked onto the Las Vegas tower."

"Something I'm still not sure happened." Kate muttered skeptically.

"I can always turn Tony into a frog and get you to kiss him." Harry called back to them from the seat he'd taken across from Abby.

"I'm sure Abby could have him as a pet, we needn't jump to extreme measures." Kate said smiling over at Tony.

"Now watch." Abby hit a button, the numbers in the corner of the graphic double and then tripled and rose exponentially and then dropped to nothing.

"How much Abby?"

"During those couple of minutes about half the available power…"

"Hang on."

"Lt Potter?" Gibbs looked over at him as Harry disrupted Abby for the second time in one briefing.

"Half the power? Down standard copper wires would have blown them out, even if it was hooked directly onto the power lines, that about directed in, wouldn't you have seen something?"

"Very good Mr Potter." Abby looked at him with a grin. Harry shrugged slightly, he proffered being called 'Lt/whatever rank' Potter, 'Mr Potter' still reminded him of school…only occasionally now though.

"The power drain didn't come from a particular line, there was a break in at a substation a mile from that area, that's the location of the power drain. I analysed the particulars of the power converter we have in the garage."

"And it matches Abbs?"

"An 85 percent match."

"Good enough for me, so now you're going to pull a dinosaur out of a hat?" Harry looked to Abby expectantly.

"What, me?" She looked at him.

"Abby?" Tony around looking vaguely interested again, probably Harry supposed because he mentioned dinosaurs.

"Have you Abbs?"

Abbs just clapped her hands and grinned.

"I already had a search program running on the initial data from the auction house and the power requirements alone to do that to a person and was able to refine it, and now…" She tapped a few buttons and an image appeared on the screen, it showed…nothing.

"That's a little disappointing." Harry stared at the screen, it showed; grassland, some trees and what appeared to be a road.

"Quite…Abby?"

"Gibbs I checked…double…hang on…" She rushed over to the keyboard and typed in a variety of things, Harry looked over and tried to follow what she was doing, and then wished, not for the first time that he was back aboard a ship, rather than here…but orders, even ones on a holiday were that.

"Gibbs this is the location, it's on former nature reserve, sold to some shadowy company, it's got a direct link to a substation and according to the figures there have been increased power demands from that area over the past couple of months, nothing on the scale outside the building but it has the same volt sine output demand, as the others."

"Right." Harry said leaning forward. "What satellite images are you using?" Harry looked to Abby and Gibbs who looked to each other.

"Uh…Abbs?"

"The CIA satellites provide it for all agencies…right Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded a look deepening on his face, an unfathomable one to Harry who wasn't really looking at him, but had instead risen from his chair.

"Something's odd about it…dunno…get an older image, I'm sure you have them stored somewhere."

Harry waited for a moment.

"Okay this is from our last backup of the old images…3 months ago."

A similar image appeared on the screen again with grassland.

"Go a year ago." Harry ordered, still staring at the screen.

"Two years." Harry waited. "Well?"

"Here. Don't get you…whatever's in a twist."

"Could be going commando Abby."

"I do that sometimes." Tony said.

"Ew…Tony, not something I needed to know."

"None of us DiNozzo. Lt what do you expect to see?"

"Here!" Abby hit a button and a large; mainly grey facility appeared on the image.

"How long ago is that Abby?"

"15 months ago. Not long enough to have it returned to grassland."

"No, not something like that. I still can't help but think I've seen this map before." Harry muttered the last part to himself.

"Abbs overlap the maps." Gibbs looked over at Tony. "Hey I've played Starcraft I just want to make sure it's the same map."

"Star what?"

"It's a computer game Gibbs."

A few more clicks later and the images over lapped, the only thing different was the whopping great building in the earlier one.

"So where is this Abby?"

"Around 4 and half hours away."

"So why there…there must be dozens of places to put a covert most likely government facility than four hours away from here."

"Aside from the closeness to the Navy and, what do you mean government." Kate asked him, catching herself as she began to name reasons.

"Well it's the whole doctoring of sat images, not something you do in your spare time, unless you're working for _counter-intelligence_ of course and no governments do that do they?" Harry asked raised an eyebrow at the former secret service agent.

"So what is giving you pause for thought Lt Potter with your knowledge from a _secret intelligence agency_."

"Touché Kate, and it's 'Taskforce' rather than agency…ley lines…" Harry whispered to himself.

"What?!" Tony said shaking his head.

"Too many concerts when you were young Tony."

"What?"

"Prevents accurate eavesdropping. Abby this connected to the internet?"

"Of course…how else would I bid on ebay." Abby grinned at Gibbs who just narrowed his eyes at her.

"Give me a few seconds…" Harry typed in a web address and logged in hoping his guest membership was still valid.

Previous to his time in Las Vegas near the start of his holiday Harry had been in San Francisco checking out the scene, he'd visited a shop, more of a hallway with several alcoves tucked between two large industrial like buildings.

The membership he'd purchased was an online database of much of the US ley lines which had been mapped to great detail by members of a group, he hadn't actually got around to using it other than a quick look in the shop.

"There, overlay that map onto the sat image." Harry gestured at the screen.

"The LL Initiative."

"What's LL?" Kate asked, Abby spun around to look at Kate and Gibbs.

"Ley lines." She grinned Kate shook her head.

The images on the screen blurred and mixed for a second before a group of lines mixed in around the grassland and building and surrounding areas, none of them actually intersected with the building.

"Well that is interesting. I think we should head there." Harry grabbed a piece of paper writing down the address.

"Potter. Explain."

"I'll explain on the way, might I remind the deadline we're all working too…one that may or may not be kept?" Harry asked quizzically. Gibbs just nodded at him.

"DiNozzo get a car ready."

"I'll drive myself, I'm not getting in another car with you guys again."

"What's wrong with us?" Tony looked to Kate and back at him, Gibbs was already out the door.

"Kate, Bring Tony!" He shouted through the glass.

Harry watched them go and then turned to Abby.

"Where are the weapons?"

"From the crime scene? The alien ones?"

"Yes." Harry said.

Harry placed the box of bagged weapons on the back seat of his car and started the engine.

Whatever they were stepping into bullets may only do so much, especially hand guns in the hands of NCIS agents with no xeno-training.

Harry grabbed his phone and slipped on the wireless headset and dialled Kate's number.

"I suppose you'll be wanting an explanation."

"_I'll put you on speaker."_ Was Kate's only response, cool as it was.

Harry shrugged and stared at the NCIS car that was obviously being driven by Gibbs some 5 cars ahead of him which was weaving in an out of the busy traffic.

"_Illuminate us Potter."_

Harry pondered how he was going to impress the possible dangers to these people, without having a long discussion of it.

"You know rivers…ley lines are like rivers, except water it's more…they're lines which can be used as a form of defence and of power, but in and of themselves untapped are useless, so you need to know how they interact with the world."

"_Are they dangerous_."

Harry shrugged.

"Not if you don't know about them."

"_Well thanks for telling us something we didn't need to know._"

Harry shrugged, he wasn't quite sure on that one, but at least they knew something of the dangers…it felt like some time had passed since he'd used a ley line in the middle of London to kill a rampaging army of vampires.

"_We'll contact you a couple of miles out from the facilty." _Gibbs' voice said before the line went dead.

Harry shrugged and flicked on the radio and prepared for a long drive.

--//

_**3 and a half hours later…**_

Harry looked at the phone as it rang and hit the answer button.

"Yes?"

"_Next turnoff, there's a park off the main road."_

"Goody." Harry muttered.

Harry stopped next to the NCIS agent's car as Tony ran out of the back seat for the toilet block over in one corner.

"He shouldn't have drunken all that orange juice." Harry said to Kate who merely looked at him in return.

"So what's the plan?" Harry asked Gibbs.

"You don't have any ideas?" Kate asked.

"I'm here as tertiary support, you're running the show." Harry smiled to them.

--//

It wasn't much of a plan, Harry reflected.

Technically they were going to break and enter, without a warrant, though as he himself pointed out, how do you get a warrant for a place which doesn't exist on any maps, or ceased to officially exist 15 months ago.

He'd given them the weapons while they were at the park, Gibbs the Cybergun, Tony the sonic gun Kate had refused to take either the matter disintegrator…which shouldn't exist or the Tissue Compression Elimenator that was in Harry's jacket now. He hadn't attempted to force Kate to take the weapon, he was concerned what the outcome would be if he did so. There most likely would be a good few days of counselling involved for these people when all this was over Harry mused.

--//

The parking lot, was like most it even had some cars in it.

The door into the building was not, it was big, thick and steel or something else, concrete maybe and looked as though it had been designed with a several megaton bomb in mind.

"That's a big and thick door."

"Much like most of your dates Tony."

"I'm sure they go like a dunny door too." Harry quipped as he patted through his pockets; which he'd remembered to fill with a variety of useful things before leaving his car.

"So are you ready Agent Gibbs?"

"For what?"

"A bit of breaking and entering?" Harry said an unmarked tube and unscrewed the top and ran a section of it out along and around a section of the door.

"What is it?" Tony leaned in to sniff it.

"Something you shouldn't be sniffing Tony." Harry commented replacing the tube.

"I did a few side trips while I was waiting for you to come back from the Kitty Hawk."

Harry removed a red cotton pouch and emptied an amount into his hand.

"Now what's that quaint term…?"

"Madman on campus?" Kate offered.

"Fire in the hold, I think." Harry said and blew the contents of his hand at the door as Kate and Tony scrambled out of the way.

There was a hissing sound a thousand Medusas and a moment later the smoke cleared.

Harry removed his wand speaking a firm "Accio" at the section of the door, it rumbled and moved slightly, Harry said it once more and the a section of the door fell out onto the ground.

"There."

"What was that?" Kate asked looking at his sleeve where Harry secreted his wand.

"Something you don't need to know about." He said before walking forward and stepping into the building.

--//

_Final chapter next week (hopefully), and hopefully explanations in full._


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders; only much of the convoluted plot, and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

**Chapter 12 **

Harry drew himself up ready for a fight.

"Well, that's anti-climactic." Tony muttered from behind him.

"What were you expecting DiNozzo?"

"I dunno boss, traps, guns blazing, complicated logic puzzles."

"In which case Tony you would be the first person to be 'finished off'." Kate said to Tony.

"You fancy yourself as the hero Kate you and Gibbs blazing your way through the end of the film?"

Harry rolled his eyes and wondered if those two had heard of URST.

They were standing in a rather nicely proportioned entrance and facing toward a currently unattended reception area.

Gibbs took the lead and walked toward the reception area, which didn't seem to have anyone there, except a computer screen, which lit up as Gibbs approached.

"Welcome, please state your customer ID number and the correct passcode for entrance." Said a woman on the computer screen.

"Agent Gibbs, NCIS I want to see whoever is in charge here."

"Please wait…" The screen went blank.

"As long as it doesn't do what my computer at home does."

"Show porn?" Kate asked Tony idly.

"No Kate, I can't believe you'd think that of me."

"Of course not, I'm sure you call it erotica Tony." Harry commented as he was looking around the space.

"Your designation is not recognised, you have no clearance."

"That didn't sound good." Tony said.

Behind them, where Harry had knocked a hole in from outside a large steel door slid down covering their escape.

"So not good." Tony muttered to himself.

Harry walked over and knocked on the what appeared to be steel door.

"Woven Kevlar, reinforced titanium and a steel intermix." He said to no one in particular.

"No quick escape Lt Potter?"

"Not unless you have a cutting torch or some high explosive handy, and sadly I didn't bring any C4 on this particular venture." Harry said looking around the room. "You know it's odd that they'd just trap us in here." Harry mused to himself…and Gibbs who was near by.

"Tony what are you doing?" Kate asked after a moment of watching Tony breathe in deep through his nose several times.

"I'm smelling the air Kate, what does it look like?"

"What for or is it just an new found compulsion you've found to be annoying in complicated circumstances?"

"I thought I could smell almonds for a moment."

"Almonds?" Kate asked slowly.

"Yeah…" Tony looked over at Kate who was thinking about something a worried expression coming over her features.

"Gibbs! They're pumping cyanide in!"

Gibbs looked around wildly for…some way out.

Harry nodded at this latest piece of information, colourless and fun Cyanide…it wasn't what he was expecting, though Harry was expecting to be shot, so on reflection an attempt on their lives by gassing was a welcome change to being shot at.

Although you couldn't fight gas, gaseous creatures maybe, but not malign semi-deadly gas.

Harry removed his wand from his sleeve and walked over to the NCIS agents and without telling them cast three bubble head charms over their heads and one for himself.

"Breathe gently…"

"What...what, what?" Tony said almost sounding like a chicken for a moment.

Harry shrugged, but as he breathed could still smell hints of the bitter almond fragrance.

Oddly enough 'the effectiveness of using a bubblehead charm in protecting yourself from being gassed with cyanide' wasn't something Professor Flitwick covered and at Night Wolf there were other methods for breathing which the bubblehead charm wasn't good for…Maybe that was why he could smell some of the gas because it _wasn't _effective.

"Move carefully and try not to puncture it…it's not totally effective. There's got to be something around here that leads into the rest of the building."

"Can't you do your…" Tony waved his hands around.

"No…" Harry said after a moment's thought, there was a stronger sense of a biomorphic jamming field in operation. "There's a string jamming field in operation…probably doing terrible things to any wildlife around here." Harry said as he walked around to the other side of the reception area.

There wasn't anything of use, no phone, just some cables going under the desk.

"Nothing here, go out along the walls…" Harry shouted, probably using up much of his fresh air that he had in the rapidly filling room, not that you could really tell, it being practically invisible.

Harry walked over to the left hand side wall and ran his fingers over the wall looking for seams, cracks and any indications that there was a hidden door. The others were following his and Gibbs suit and doing the same.

"Boss, Harry over here!" Tony called from the other side of the room beside in the left hand corner of the room.

Harry and Gibbs walked swiftly over, Tony was pointing at an almost invisible seam that ran along the entire wall.

"Probably stays open when they're not expecting visitors, can you open it Lt?"

Harry nodded and slid his wand once more into his hand, he was pretty sure they couldn't tell precisely what it was.

"Alohomora." Harry muttered firmly. The door shuddered but didn't open.

Harry frowned and tried again, this time nothing happened.

"Lost your magic Lt?" Kate asked critically.

Harry was caught by some forgotten memory. _"It's an unlocking charm Ron…it's not going to blast the doors off their hinges!"_ Came an annoyed voice of Hermione from somewhere in the depths of his memory.

Sliding his wand back into his sleeve Harry grabbed at the door and gripped against the roughness of whatever they painted the door with and slid.

The others rushed forward to help and they slowly, slid, pushing against what felt like some sort of mechanism to open enough to clamber through.

They got through into what was more or less a corridor.

Harry looked back at the door and was about to move to close it when he heard some sort of mechanism whirr into life and it shut again.

Harry sidled up behind the agents and cancelled the bubblehead charms, there were four muffled 'pops' as they each broke and they could breath the un-fetid air once more.

"That was a bit convenient." Tony said looking at the door.

"That it closed sparing us from the…oh yes…" Kate started.

"I wonder what test is up next." Tony said grinning.

"I wonder…" Harry started sarcastically. "Maybe chessboard flooring with electrified pieces, seemingly mythological statues coming to life and asking philosophical riddles, logic puzzles written over walls of thousand year old structures, mazes galore and then stealing a golden egg from beneath a dragon…" Harry finished.

"Really a golden egg?"

"Trust me it only ends in heartache and death." Harry muttered darkly.

"So boss what'd we do?"

"Do Tony? We're here to arrest the people responsible for Seamen Byrne, Petty Officer Irvine and Agent Cornell's deaths."

"I mean should we stick together or…" Tony paused. "Split up."

Harry shook his head and wondered if there was a cliché meter going somewhere.

"Next someone is going to say 'These corridors all look the same'." There that's it Harry thought I've just made the cliché meter explode, cue the electrified chessboard flooring and a reappearance of Voldemort.

"We're not splitting up DiNozzo. Through there, we'll clear each of these rooms…any advice Lt?"

"Aside from snarky comments about clichés." Kate said as she un-holstered her weapon.

"Keep both the energy weapons, you two as well as the standard weapons on standby, and when Tony, _if _you come to fire the sonic weapon, the white part is to the front."

"What happens if it's the other way around?"

"The sonic waves shatter most of your bones and vibrate and then your soft internal organs make a 'squelch' noise…"

"Not pleasant."

"No, but then the people who created it were a bit different…Lets get going before Gibbs whacks you on the head again."

The first lab they went into revealed no one, though it seemed that some people had left in a hurry, there wasn't too much of interest.

Various alien technologies had been laid out and were being tested.

They made their way through at least 4 labs before they came across something which could be classed as 'interesting' it was in a large room that seemed battle scarred with an array of systems Harry didn't recognise, but once they were inside he recognised the thing on the other side of the room that had thick cables hooked into it that appeared to be power cables, it appeared to have been assembled from at least two distinct and different casings, the bottom 'skirt' had blue globes around it, while the top was extremely battle scarred and off beige colour, which most likely came from the Shoreditch Incident.

"Oh shit."

"_Lifeforms detected!" _The thing on the other side of the room. "_I must…I must…OBEY…OBEY…my orders are to OBEY…EXTERMINATE…"_

"Cruk…cruk, cruk…." Harry muttered as he and the NCIS agents threw themselves behind a desk as a blast of energy came their way.

"They've obviously got more than one weapon." Harry said to himself as another deadly energy beam hit the table Gibbs most have flipped over to provide some form of protection.

"What the hell is that thing?" Gibbs shouted as he opened fire with his gun, there was Harry noted a satisfying noise of bullets penetrating metal.

"Well it's a patched together biomechanical creature, this one looks to be from two different time periods and battles." Harry rambled Kate looked at him.

"Sorry, it's called…doesn't matter, just aim for the eyepiece of the torsoe, that's where the main…systems are."

"Bullets or the fancy weapons?" Tony asked with glee. Harry shrugged wiggled his hands and a large fireball appeared above his hand which he lobbed over their makeshift protection and ducked down as another beam of energy passed over them.

"Really felt that one…remind me to get us checked out by your M.E. when we get back."

"What for?" Tony asked as he squeezed the sonic gun, there was a warbling as the sonic waves crashed into the Dalek, and something exploded, Tony ducked down as Gibbs moved up with the Cybergun, there was another different noise and an explosion.

Harry lobbed another two fireballs at the Dalek.

"Those energy beams are generally deadly if you get hit…but this one has probably been taken apart and put back together a few times judging by…" There was a noise as the Dalek fired again and it impacted on the table setting it on fire.

"Ok one concerted effort." Harry pulled two weapons from his jacket.

"One, two…Now." All three leaned up from their now smouldering defensive position and began firing, sparks flying off the Dalek as it attempted to fire back…and then exploded sending a wave of energy around it and sparks flying back to the wall where it was…plugged in.

"Interesting…" Harry muttered as they walked over, there was the remains of a Dalek creature in there but a lot of the internal systems appeared to be damaged. Not that he was an expert, he knew how to fight them, some of their battle strategies and generally how to kill them, and if they're captured alive to keep back in case of a self destruct.

This mix and match didn't have that problem, and obviously had no power supply judging by the charred cables leading to a large box at the back of the room.

"Something for UNIT to sort out Lt?"

"Very likely Agent Todd, better that than…" Harry trailed off.

"Than our government?"

"Your words not mine Kate."

Before they left the lab they checked over the various things which hadn't been damaged by the Dalek, Harry meanwhile withdrew a bag from his jacket and walked a small circle around the Dalek making a circle of white powder right around the Dalek.

"What's that for?" Kate asked quietly as he finished.

Harry looked at the white dust and muttered something making it glow for a few seconds.

"Just something to stop any remains escaping."

"But we destroyed it."

"Best to be sure Kate. Come on it looks that Gibbs has had his fill of this room…lets see what the next lab brings."

"Another piece of deadly danger awaits us guys come on!" Tony said loudly from the door.

"You're enjoying this too much Tony."

"Called looking on the bright side Kate, other wise I'd be all morose and…"

"Like me?" She glared at him as she walked past.

The next lab wasn't deadly danger, it wasn't roses and puppy dog tails either.

It was worrying though Harry thought as he went in; the lab was divided into three an observation room, which they'd entered a metal chair with restraints and cabling leading to the third.

"So he did perfect his procedure overseas…" Harry muttered looking through the window and was glad that he read so many of the UNIT files.

Inside was what appeared to be a larger device based on the Keller Machine.

"Who?" Kate asked.

"It looks like a torture scene." Tony muttered.

"Or an experimentation area."

"Emil Keller, he's probably listed next to Victor Magister and a bunch of others…he posed as a Swiss scientist selling the virtues of the Keller process…not that it was in any way practical, useful or even safe."

"Keller?"

"His process." Harry thought for a moment. "World Peace Conference, 1970s London…?" Harry looked to the three, Tony and Kate shook their heads, Gibbs looked thoughtful. "Nothing? Doesn't matter. Just I think we'll stay on this side of the plexiglass protection for now."

The final door to check was at the end of the corridor, aside from a lab which seemed a cross between a potions lab and a chemistry lab and another with some plans and calculations there didn't seem to be much of anything.

"Well final door time." Harry said as they walked through.

They were almost immediately shot at by what was a very green…although not necessarily killing curse.

"Oh fun, brilliant."

"Being shot at, again Potter." Gibbs said as they dived behind some packing crates.

"Welcome to my life agent Gibbs."

"Same drill?" Harry shrugged at Gibbs' question.

"Give bullets a go." Harry said as he crawled past Kate and Tony to get a better angle.

"Tony, Kate…on three, one two…" The three of them crouched up, just as a beam of green controlling light leapt out of distance and struck all three, making them shout in agony.

Harry looked back at agonised screams.

"Cruciatus …it's beginning to feel like England." Harry looked out above the boxed and tried to find the source of the spell but it was obscured by some bright lights.

"Accio!" Harry waved at the three he came spinning and stumbling to the ground and then slid towards Harry.

They were still shaking as Harry beant over them.

Harry patted down his pockets trying to find something to assist in their recovery.

Removing various packages he's brought with him he sniffed them trying to find something as they continued to have aftershocks from the Cruciatus curse.

"Star anise…" Harry muttered sniffing a muslin bag. He put that next to the stalks of rosemary and stuffed everything back into his pockets and grabbed Gibbs forcing his mouth open and placing some of the Rosemary and a star anise inside.

"Chew it…it'll help…" Not as much as an actual Night Wolf Cruciatus recover bar, but it would help naturally shock their awareness out of the worst of the Cruciatus curse, he repeated the process for Kate and Tony as the same spell continue to flare over them.

"Better?" Harry asked in a low tone.

They nodded.

"Keep your weapons handy I'm going to investigate…and try not to get caught in the spell again…it's not too good for you." Harry advised before crawling off towards whoever was continuously firing the spells at them.

"What the hell was that Gibbs?" Kate was still shivering.

"Torture." Was Gibbs only response.

"It felt like…" Tony started.

"Like all my skin was on fire."

"But it's more than that it was…" Tony's musing were cut off by Gibbs who was going through a set of stretches Tony had seen some special ops guys do.

"Gibbs?"

"Stretch out your limbs DiNozzo, Kate too…got to get the blood flowing out, move around…and get after Lt Potter."

"You think he's in trouble boss?"

"I think he's trouble full stop Tony, but that too."

Harry crawled around till he was parallel with the person firing the spells…it wasn't a person at all, it was a big, thing with half a dozen wands plugged into it, and there seemed to be a liquid going around inside it.

"We meet at last Mr Potter." Said an accented voice.

Harry turned and looked as a man walked out holding a wand and a submachine gun.

Harry raised and eyebrow.

"Ummm…do I know you?"

The man chuckled.

"You knew an employer of mine." The man said with a malicious smile.

Harry was sure he'd never met the man, Harry looked again, the man was in his mid 40s with light brown hair and a hard face.

"Ok…who, Fudge or Voldemort."

"I knew of your hand in dear Fudge's demise, made my work so much more…fulfilling. However not, Mr Potter…the Dark Lord was my originally employer." The voice sounded vaguely South African to Harry.

"You're a Death Eater?" Harry asked surprised. The man chuckled.

"No, I was more…procuring and administration, not important enough to be branded with the Dark Lord's mark…" He paused and then smiled. "It seems I have you to thank for his demise, even if certain parts of the story don't make sense, it is still a tale…we shall have fun extracting."

"We?"

"Positions!" He shouted and a group of armed men stepped forward out of the gloom.

"Ah…it's a little…"

"Dramatic Mr Potter. The Dark Lord always had a thing for it." He shrugged.

"Victims of the Keller Process."

"So you do know all UNIT's secrets then Mr Potter?"

"Not a long range legillemens then?" Harry taunted and then cursed himself, he was mucking on pretty thin ice with a lot of guns being pointed at him by brainwashed and most likely missing a lot of their tought processes people.

"Do you like my device special commission." Harry turned to the thing that was still reeling off shots. The man clicked a button on a remote and it stopped with a whine of power.

"So you've built a machine to fire spells."

"Commissioned by the muggles, you have to appreciate their ingenuity of the request. Not even the Dark Lord could have thought of this…" Harry spared a second glance at the fluid that was being pumped around the machine.

"Is that…?"

"The life blood yes…a ministry official who thought to interrupt the muggle's efforts here…he was…recycled." The Man chuckled.

"To make a wand fireable by a muggle…"

"With magical blood…and his hand of course."

Harry wondered if all people did this, admittedly he'd faced more than one megalomaniacal person, but he was did want to start finding out stuff.

Harry spared a look back towards where he'd left Gibbs and the others, Tony was looking over the boxes watching them, Harry winked and waving two finger behind him, hoping Tony would realise 2 minutes to some help would be good. Or words to that effect.

"So what now Mr…I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't give it Mr Potter."

"And your employers?"

"Mr employers…know…" He trailed off. "My employers are the muggles and they know…what they know. I gave them a name…something to put in their boxes."

Harry raised an eyebrow mentally counting backwards the two minutes.

"Your employers care to enlighten me Mr…I'm sure mine would be interesting."

"UNIT of course and NCIS that you've allied with, and that dear lab technician Abigail."

"You're well informed." Harry said calmly as he placed both hands behind his back and moved into what appeared to be a thoughtful stance.

"The muggles here are far more advanced…" Harry cut him off.

"Interesting to hear a Voldemort supporter say that." Harry got a crimson colour spell fired at him for his interruption. Harry cringed partly from the spell and partly from the fireballs he was balancing above his hand, his sudden movement to duck the spell had singed his fingers.

"Advanced in the realms of surveillance Mr Potter. A muggle will scream just as loudly as a wizard, and both are susceptible to the same things."

"Cyanide for instance?" Harry asked, he had at last count probably 30 seconds before Tony, Gibbs and Kate made…whatever move they were going to, which would hopefully be something good, as it stood he was still standing with half a dozen armed people.

The man laughed.

"A test as Anthony DiNozzo deduced, though nothing as complicated as an electrified chess board Mr Potter. Hardly fitting for you though."

"Because I killed Voldemort and his followers?" _10…9…7…_

"No because…" That was when the shooting started, both of energy weapons and standard bullets.

Harry barely had enough time to throw himself into a dive roll to get out of the way of the energy weapons being fired from behind him, and the spells and bullets being fired _at _him.

As he dived into his roll he threw the fireballs which hit between two of the people each blowing into a fiery pyre.

As he recovered he fired over a series of spells at knee level at the men surrounding the Man, who ever he was, and also landing a few low level strikes at the Man as well, though whether it did any damage Harry couldn't tell with energy blasts and bullets being fired over _rather than_ at him.

Soon in fact very quickly the NCIS people and he himself ran out of people to shoot, Harry was the first up and over to the body, the Man was coughing up blood.

Gibbs ran over and was checking the other bodies.

Harry grabbed the man's wand and chucked it away from his body and then grimly levelled his own wand at the man.

He wanted, nay needed to know what was going on with this whole situation and the details would be here…

"_You'll be learning this portion with Francis here Harry…" Birmingham said nodding to a man Harry had seen around Night Wolf who was also a wand user._

"_The Brigadier…"_

"_No…Lethbridge Stewart doesn't like to use memory techniques against anyone and I agree, especially memory modification spells. But you did request to learn some more esoteric methods and there might come situations both here and out on other planets or other places where this might save you life…"_

"_And the Brigadier?" Harry asked._

"_Has our full support, you don't need to learn this, there are others Harry, I'm not making it an order."_

"_But knowing some advanced __Legillemency is useful, don't I know it…"_

"_We have professionals __if__ it is ever nessacary. But Harry it comes with a warning, only extreme circumstances and full reports." Birmingham warned looked into Harry's eyes impressing the seriousness of this information._

"_Sir…if I may ask…"_

"_There are things you don't need to know Mr Potter…and Francis is far better trained than I am in this particular form and other arts."_

_Harry nodded._

"Legillemens." Harry said softly but firmly as he aimed his wand at the man's left temple and grit his teeth through the pain of transition.

The transition through his surface thoughts into the deeper realms was about as smooth as Thai whiskey, and about as enjoyable as sexual relations with a cactus Harry thought to himself as groups of images and related sense experiences flashed through his awareness.

The man's name was…Harry couldn't make it out, it was like that portion was…obscured…removed.

Everlasting Chisel flashed through Harry's semi-aware state of mind.

Harry pushed harder forcing with his spell and his mind to focus in on the origins what this man was doing and what happened.

It was like he fell through ice, except it was hard and bleached out, it was a semi-shaken state in the room with the Keller Machine…brain washing and removal of personality memories…

There were people, the image shifted as the man shifted his head, people watching from the viewing area at him…the Man…in suits Harry (through the man's memories) make out the faces.

There was another flash of an almost montage as Harry 'watched' as other images passed through his mind, this Man's developments…and what he was doing everything including the auction, it all for his employers…Harry couldn't really make out much of their loyalties or appearances, but there were some answers.

As he was readying himself to try again he 'felt' the walls or whatever it was around him begin to collapse inwards.

Harry literally crawled his way out and he fell backwards against someone's legs.

He would have a headache for at least a week and then some, Harry wondered as he wiped the sweat and whatever else was on his forehead if there was a good brandy on offer at the moment.

"Lt…?"

"Yeah…I'm up…status?"

"All dead."

"Good make safe all their weapons." Harry said shaking himself.

"Already done that Lt while you were…" Gibbs gave him a look, part questioning part knowing and part almost smug.

"Getting some answers." Harry muttered. "Come on let's work out a way out before…his employers come looking."

They made there was through the room to the back where it lead into a loading dock and out the back of the building, Gibbs grabbed at his phone to call for back up.

"Don't." Harry shook his head.

"Lt."

"Gibbs…call Ducky get him to bring transport for him and the others." Harry gestured the body floating behind him, Kate was keeping a wide berth from both him and the body. "I think he'll want to double check his fingerprints against your case records."

Harry led the body after Gibbs and the others and set it down beside the cars and then went to his own grabbing a bag or two from his car and walked back off toward the building.

"Potter!" Harry heard Gibbs yell but wasn't really listening.

"Tony! Get after him!"

"Watcha doin Harry?"

"What does it look like?" Harry asked as they walked back into the building and Harry made his way for the labs.

"It looks like you're collecting a booty."

"Beenn watching a few crime movies Tony?" Harry asked looking at a piece of tech and placed it in his bag.

"Gibbs doesn't want you contaminating the scene."

Harry looked at Tony. "Who says I'm going to leave anything for him to investigate?" Harry asked calmly, as he felt the continued after effects play against his head from the extended Legillemency so close to the man's death.

"But…" Harry left him.

The UN's attitude to this sort of research, especially stuff geared towards subjugation and controlling of individuals was pretty much zero tolerance, and since this operation, from what he could tell was further than down the line than a 'black op' operation.

When Harry came to the Dalek remains he stared at it for a moment before delving into his pockets removing something smelling of sulfur and chucked it into the circle with pouch he'd mixed earlier and muttered a long stream of words concentrating as he did so, making his headache double in strength.

"It's at this point I should have brought a hipflask." Harry muttered to the smelting and smoldering remains.

Tony was lurking somewhere behind him.

Tony followed Harry out of the building gesturing the floating bodies with grim fascination.

"Now that you've got all you tech what're you going to do Lt Potter, you're still on US soil."

"I assured your director a resolution to this Agent Gibbs, and that will not happen if this building remains…intact." Harry said as he walked to his car and threw his bags of technology in, they would be sent back to Night Wolf for re-cataloguing and checking.

As Harry made his way back over to the edges of the building he silently wished there was a ship in orbit that could blast this building off the face of the Earth, however that would break an inconceivable number of rules, agreements, and other such government pieces of paper and discussions.

Harry crouched down and then sat down on the ground and allowed himself to fall into a form of trance, something that he hadn't practiced or attempted for a while. He was glad as he progressed into his trance that the Man's employers had build their building around such large ley lines, it would make it marginally easier…and all that more dangerous, but with the biomorphic jammer still in operation, something which Harry couldn't find, he had less options that he would have normally and even less than if he had some high explosives handy.

"What do you think he's doing boss?" Tony whispered looking at Harry who was sitting with a pained expression on his face, sweat running down his forehead.

"You think I understand half of what he's been doing DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked holding up the Cybergun.

"Right, sorry boss…what _are you _going to tell the director."

"Gibbs…do you feel that?"

Kate asked from behind them, she had an unreadable expression on her face.

"What Kate?" They moved back away from Harry back to the point a meter or so behind Harry.

"Like static electricity…" She said rubbing her arms.

Tony looked back toward Harry…that was when it happened, it was as though the air rippled from all sides around the building and then it exploded with the noise of several sonic booms and the building exploded and collapsed inwards on itself.

A few seconds later several somethings exploded within the building bathing them with a lot of heat.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted as he rushed forward to Harry, Tony shook his head trying to clear the ringing and ran forward to help Gibbs with Harry.

--//

"Well come on Lt Potter. Explain why I told the CIA that the building just 'exploded on its own'." Gibbs asked. They were sitting on chairs which had been dragged up to the roof top of the NCIS building.

Harry still had a thumping headache, after the building exploded and he recovered he'd left almost immediately leaving Gibbs to deal with whoever came to investigate, his 'booty' was in a secure UN facility which they asked no questions about, he had a higher clearance than them, he'd deal with that later, but there was still evidence at NCIS to deal with.

But before he'd had a chance to grab that he'd been dragged up here by Gibbs.

"It was a darker than black ops operation, as I said you'll probably be able to match the man's fingerprints and DNA to some of the things recovered."

"You're not going to steal that away from us?" Kate asked.

"Not all of it, though I doubt you could take it to court…but it's closed and finished."

"What was it Lt? The building the weapons, what we found on the ships?" Gibbs pressed.

"It was all part of the same operation. The auction…and those previous was to stir up interest, promote research and whatever in the field, alternate routes and what have you."

"This was a government operation?"

"Most likely yes." Harry said simply. "Corrupt and breaking all human rights. Some of it was about obtaining technology. Others…I'm pretty sure the gillyweed was all about spreading it out there to make it less of a surprise when it was introduced."

"Start it out as illegal and then when it's introduced for normal consumption…?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Yes."

"You still haven't explained what that…'gillyweed' is." Tony asked.

"If there's a pool around here…or if you feel up to swimming in the Anacostia river I can show you." Tony shuddered at the second suggestion.

"Who's Voldemort?" Kate asked staring at him.

"A mad man, a terrorist, a murderer, a bigot, an ethnic cleanser all of the above."

"You killed him." Kate said simply.

"Made sure he could never come back."

"And they do that in your line of work." Gibbs said, it wasn't quite a question.

"He did and it cost a lot of people their lives."

--//

Harry sat in on the benches with Abby, they were waiting for Tony to get finished training, Abby had a cooler with a large sample of the Gillyweed.

"So you're sure this is 100 safe?"

"Totally, and there's all those sailors and sub-mariners that have been using it too…I've used it." Harry offered seeing Abby's concerned face.

"And what happened?"

"Rescued a friend got attacked by mermaids." Harry said casually, Abby laughed.

"You could always get in there with him."

"I don't do public nudity."

"Hardly nudity, and if it is I don't want to see Tony in that case."

"In what case?" Gibbs asked as he walked up.

"What'd the director say to the CIA people."

"Nothing, just avoid the office until Monday." Gibbs said as he sat down and put a big cup of 'Caff-Pow' in front of Abby.

"Did you get everything out of my lab Harry?" Abby asked.

"It's all gone, all the problematic evidence" Harry spared a look at Gibbs who just ignored him and sipped his coffee. "it's all away from nosy government types."

"So why am I doing this?"

"Because you've always regaled Kate about your physique and stamina Tony, now's the time to show it." Abby grinned at Tony who was hiding inside a dressing gown. Not that there was anyone to see them, they were inside one of the Navy's pools, which had been 'closed' for today for 'training purposes'.

"Come on get it off." Harry said.

"Bet you say that to everyone you meet Harry." Abby teased.

"Well I certainly don't wonder into bathroom while they're showering, I get enough thrills being shot at." Harry grinned that he'd at least been able to make Abby a little embarrassed.

"Where is the stuff?" Tony rubbed his hands together.

"Try not to sound like a user looking for his next fix." Harry muttered and opened the cooler.

"There you go, eat it all. Just one of them though." There were three small potions in the box.

"Where's Kate?" Tony asked.

"Personal time." Gibbs answered. Tony nodded understanding flowing over his face.

"So what do I do?"

"You eat it." Harry said watching Tony fondle the ball of gillyweed.

"It feels like something a fish might vomit."

"You might want to take the dressing gown off and be near the water's edge."

"Then eat it?" He asked.

"Yep."

Tony walked over to the water's edge. Harry pulled Abby up to watch as Tony put the gillyweed in his mouth and chewed.

"It's awful like rubber."

"Just swallow."

"That's probably what he…" Harry started Abby gave him a look.

The effect was fast and Tony had just enough time to pull off the dressing gown and fall into the water, Abby and Harry jumped away from the splash and watched as Tony's features morphed and changed into gills and flippers.

"Oh my…that's…"

"Fishy?" Harry offered with a smile. Abby grinned.

"Maybe we can leave Tony like this, keep him in a tank in the lab."

"Maybe…Keep an eye on him just in case." Harry said quietly as he rejoined Gibbs on the benches.

"A definite advantage Lt Potter." He murmured.

"You see the possibilities, or what they saw in this?" Harry said. Gibbs nodded.

"Is there more of this that we'll have to deal with?"

"Probably, but they won't involve you again, not after this."

"And this?" Gibbs kicked the box as he watched Abby laugh as Tony swam around the pool.

"If you encounter it again treat it like any other drug, though probably incineration would be best…or just ignore it." Harry offered and looked at Gibbs. "I'm sure you've done that before?" Harry pushed himself off the bench and walked over to where Abby was watching Tony splash around.

"Should be wearing off soon…" Almost on queue Tony started coughing and almost drowning.

"Did you see me?" Tony asked like a little kid.

"It was amazing Tony you were like 'fishman'!"

"Harry that was…" Tony shook his head.

"Now you have an appreciation for it…" Harry walked over and grabbed the box, and ignited the other two packages in there.

"Hey!" Tony called from the pool.

"I'm sure you can have plenty of fun without the gillyweed Tony." Harry called over and then placed the box down next to Gibbs and offered his hand. Gibbs shook it.

"It was good working with you and your team Gibbs." Harry said with a smile and shook his hand and continued over to Tony and did the same.

"Great working with you Harry…" Harry smiled and gave Abby a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks, remember curiosity is the best thing, open your eyes and everything else will follow." Harry said and turned towards the door.

"Hey Harry what about…?"

"Things to sort out, things to see, megalomaniacs to stop." Harry gave a wave and disappeared, literally around a corner.

--//

_That's it. Finished._

_I admit there are more than a few clichéd moments in here, but as this is a TV cross with a crime show I think I'm allowed to use some of the conventions._

_Next up keep an eye out (next week) for my next story tentatively entitled _**The Doctor Encounter**. _Which will also be in the TV-Xovers section._

_There may also be in the future small fics called _**Night Wolf – Encounters**, _small fics which are part of the overall story but don't qualify for huge stories (still just an idea, so it may not come to anything, just some ideas I have)_. _These may end up in the Harry Potter or the TV-Xovers, I'm not sure at the moment._

_Thanks to everyone who has read thus far, and stay ready for _**The Doctor Encounter**.


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